Chapter 168: , Catch the Mole!

PS: Sorry, I went on a blind date again today. This is already the fifth one since the New Year; I'm so miserable! So there's only one update today; I'll return to two updates tomorrow.

"What a remarkable person." National Police Agency Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda stood before Watanabe Eiji. He always had a squinting expression and spoke in a steady, measured tone, quite different from his older brother, the Chief Cabinet Secretary: "To be honest, although I am also a University of Tokyo graduate, I cannot think of how this case could be investigated to satisfy the University of Tokyo while simultaneously handling the Americans."

"Uesugi Muneyuki, a remarkable person indeed. I say, you people in the Criminal Division shouldn't keep him on too tight a leash. Lend him to us sometimes; we in Public Security also have matters that require a very capable Forensic Pathologist."

"So this is a request?" Watanabe Eiji was actually quite puzzled; Watanabe Minami had already reported the internal information leak to him today.

Miss Minami indicated to her father that after Uesugi Muneyuki reached his deduction, he described it to everyone and applied for a search warrant from the Special Investigation Headquarters to set out. However, for some reason, the District Public Prosecutors Office received the news a step early, learned most of his deductions, and launched a search first, nearly allowing the District Public Prosecutors Office a complete victory.

"Well, I suppose you could call it that." Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda nodded.

Watanabe Eiji inserted the Kingston memory card into the computer, and after watching for only a moment, he furrowed his brows: "It's him?! It's actually him?!"

"He has always been considered your right-hand man, after all. When it comes down to it, the glorious Director General Watanabe occasionally commits the error of failing to judge a person correctly!" Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda was calm and composed.

The two police giants locked eyes. Clearly, the Criminal Division, which had just won a huge victory, was speechless in the face of the mole evidence produced by the Public Security Division. However, it was impossible for the Public Security Division to shake the behemoth status that Watanabe Eiji currently held, crushing the entire Metropolitan Police Department.

Come to think of it, this Director General was actually quite unlucky; major cases occurred incessantly during his tenure.

But he was also very lucky; no matter what the major case was, he handled them all. Not only did he handle them, but he handled them exceptionally well.

The time for negotiation had arrived.

"Lend us Uesugi Muneyuki sometimes." This was coded language; neither side stated it explicitly, but the meaning was clear.

However, besides this, Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda seemed to have other motives.

Eiji the old fox signaled for him to speak.

From Investigation Division 1 Chief to Director General, I have worked for many years. In the current Metropolitan Police Department, every task I undertake succeeds, and what I do not wish to be done, others cannot accomplish.

…………

On the way back, the car was still stuck in traffic, and a light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky.

"In May, the Uesugi Clan of Yonezawa seized the realm!"

The rain outside the car was very, very light, stopping and starting. Miss Minami leaned against Uesugi Muneyuki and said meaningfully: "The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Incident, Yukimatsumaru's insubordination, the enemy is at Tokyo University!"

"Then who is Hideyoshi?" Uesugi Muneyuki looked up at the pitch-black sky of Tokyo, illuminated in colorful hues by various neon lights. The continuous drizzle and the black curtain of the sky could not conceal the glitz and glamour of the metropolis.

"Hey, I threw out a reference, you have to follow it!" Miss Minami half-leaned on Uesugi Muneyuki, pouting in annoyance: "It's obviously the District Public Prosecutors Office! They almost snatched the peaches! Damn it!"

"The District Public Prosecutors Office isn't the key. The key is, Minami, have you thought about one question? Do you remember what I said?" Uesugi Muneyuki pinched his chin: "My deduction at the time was that Professor Tsuda had already dissolved Mrs. Tsuda. Therefore, if a traitor leaked the information, the District Public Prosecutors Office should have raided the large vats in the waste warehouse directly. But what was the reaction of the District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation team? They did find the waste warehouse, but their first reaction was Professor Tsuda's handcart."

"Oh, now that you put it that way, you're right!" Ikeda Erena, who was driving in the front seat, the tall beauty, suddenly made the connection: "Uesugi, who do you think leaked the news?"

"Muneyuki-kun, if you can't trust others, can't you trust me and Ikeda?" Miss Minami asked softly, trying to continue pressing against Uesugi Muneyuki.

As a result, Uesugi Muneyuki instinctively backed away.

Huh?!

Miss Minami felt baffled by this; how could this guy Uesugi fail to grasp this young lady's charm?

How is this possible?

So she moved closer to Uesugi Muneyuki, followed his gaze, adjusted her posture slightly, and a silk-clad leg peeked out from under her police skirt, resting on his suit trousers. She domineeringly pulled his head over to face her: "Look at me! When communicating with a superior, you must look them in the eye! Uesugi, you guy, are you trying to commit insubordination?"

Uesugi Muneyuki managed to pull his gaze back, shaking his head slightly in embarrassment: "No, I just don't think it was you who leaked it."

"Really?" Miss Minami wore an expression of disbelief, but as she moved even closer, that leg suddenly touched something.

The Face of the Metropolitan Police Department froze, and then a moving crimson flush spread over her sweet, adorable, and luscious apple-like cheeks.

"Bad thing!" Miss Minami whispered a curse and tried to escape.

But Uesugi Muneyuki no longer gave her the chance. With one hand around her waist and the other covering her mouth, he lifted her slightly and restrained Miss Minami, whose physique was clearly more petite than Erena's: "It wasn't you, nor was it Kousaka, Kashiwagi, Erena, or Okada that day. It was someone else; otherwise, the District Public Prosecutors Office would have charged straight for the waste vats."

"So, the only ones who could have leaked the secret are Police Inspector Shiratori of the Second Division, and..."

Miss Minami's pupils shrank slightly; she remembered the search warrant that took nearly an hour to obtain: "You mean?"

She suddenly smiled tenderly: "I'll handle it, Uesugi-kun. You have more important things to do now, don't you? Are you thinking about it?"

Uesugi Muneyuki made a helpless expression and sighed: "Yeah!"

He really was thinking about Princess Connect, very much so, and this young lady was still seducing him.

Careful, or I'll eat you right here in the car!

"Ikeda, you take Muneyuki-kun home tonight!" Miss Minami smiled brilliantly: "Serve him well, and this young lady will reward you!"

"Huh?!" Ikeda Erena was concentrating on driving because the road had become slippery. Hearing Miss Minami say this, she felt somewhat displeased.

Who asked you to arrange it? Could I not spend the night at the Uesugi Residence without your arrangement?

I've been prepared for a long time!

"It was supposed to be me taking him home anyway," Erena said irritably: "Section Chief, please don't interfere with my private life, okay?"

Although Ikeda Erena was not clever, this sentence choked Miss Minami until she could barely breathe.

Interfere with your private life???

Wasn't it my arrangement that brought about your good fortune with Muneyuki-kun? If not for me, would you even have the chance to appear by Uesugi-kun's side?

Now that you've tasted the sweetness, you turn your back on me?

This is rebellion! It's all rebellion!

You can't just emphasize not interfering with your private life only when you've successfully stolen a bite!

Miss Minami smiled brilliantly: "It seems you and Muneyuki-kun are quite a good team, Ikeda!"

"That goes without saying." Erena was quite proud when mentioning this.

Hehe~ Hehehehe~

The coldness in Miss Minami's eyes grew even more intense.

Originally, she hadn't decided whether to enter the fray herself, because if she decided to do so, for a family background like Uesugi Muneyuki's, it would mean there was no chance for retreat. Conversely, if she didn't enter the fray, both sides could maintain this relationship of "more than friends, less than lovers," able to advance or retreat, and she could continue to ride on Uesugi Muneyuki's achievements.

To this end, Miss Minami had arranged two moves: first, to have Ikeda pester Uesugi Muneyuki to determine if he was a normal male and if he had any particularly nasty or strange hobbies, and then to transfer Uesugi Muneyuki under her command to establish a special, non-permanent illegal department. This would allow her to control Uesugi while also being able to dissolve it directly when necessary without bearing joint liability.

But now it seemed, it wasn't Uesugi Muneyuki who needed her; it was she, Watanabe Minami, and even the entire Metropolitan Police Department that needed Uesugi Muneyuki!

For the entire Todai Case, Uesugi Muneyuki was the daddy of the Metropolitan Police Department!

Only he dared to confront the University of Tokyo head-on, shouting at the University of Tokyo president, and could still find the key evidence in a bizarre and hitherto incomprehensible way all at once.

So, there is no doubt!

He is the person I want!

As for Uesugi Muneyuki's minor flaws, they were nothing more than being lecherous and having a stubborn temper; she was confident she could handle that.

Just as Miss Watanabe was lost in her thoughts, Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly reached out and covered her mouth, gazing into her eyes: "I will leave the matter of rooting out the mole in the Metropolitan Police Department to you, Watanabe. I don't want to make things difficult for you, but I must get a properly handled result. Don't make me have to deal with the Metropolitan Police Department's trouble myself, OK?"

The coldness deep in Watanabe's eyes instantly dissipated.

This was also the point she liked most about him; he was willing to hand other cases over to her, which gave her a lot of room to operate.

"The Todai Case ends here. I won't concern myself with the aftermath. The work of closing the case might be very heavy, involving the District Public Prosecutors Office, the University of Tokyo, and the Metropolitan Police Department."

"As the Chief of the Special Mission Unit, you will surely have endless reports and paperwork to do later."

"I am responsible for on-site forensics and finding evidence, and you are responsible for the aftermath and administrative paperwork. This was our previous agreement, and I need to rest for two days. Unit Chief Watanabe, you wouldn't refuse, would you?"

"Handing the troublesome work to me again? Uesugi Muneyuki, you guy." With her small mouth covered, Watanabe's voice sounded muffled.

Uesugi Muneyuki pinched her chin, his gaze gentle: "I am trusting you, Watanabe. You wouldn't want to hand the Special Mission Unit over to someone else, would you? This is the lifeblood of both of us."

"Indeed, absolutely impossible!" Miss Watanabe felt a hot current surging through her entire body.

Watanabe Minami knew her personality was a bit difficult; she didn't like men who were too overbearing or too sharp-edged, because she herself had a strong career ambition, and as the daughter of the Superintendent General, she was born wanting to keep climbing higher.

But Miss Watanabe also looked down on men who were too weak or incompetent.

Like Uesugi Muneyuki, who was overbearing when he needed to be and professional when he needed to be, and at other times could hand things over to her to handle—it was just perfect!

But somehow, by the time Miss Watanabe came back to her senses, she discovered she was already sitting on Uesugi Muneyuki's lap.

The back seat was empty, Ikeda Erena was driving in the front, and upon sensing the position of her body, Miss Watanabe's pretty face was instantly covered in a rosy flush.

She instinctively wanted to get up, but was held by the waist by Uesugi Muneyuki.

"Wait... Uesugi Muneyuki!"

Miss Watanabe was a little shy.

Since she had made up her mind, she would see it through to the end; Miss Watanabe was not opposed to doing something slightly intimate.

But this was inside a car, not a sufficiently private space, and Ikeda was still sitting in the front!

Uesugi Muneyuki, however, did not give her a chance to leave, holding her waist with one hand while slowly chatting with her.

If it were just an ordinary chat, that would be one thing, but this person's hands were not restless at all.

He was playing a game of calligraphy with Miss Watanabe; he would write, and she would guess.

Wait... like this?!

Miss Watanabe's eyes began to slowly lose focus.

More than ten minutes later, when Uesugi Muneyuki and the others, who had been stuck in traffic for nearly an hour on a ten-kilometer road, finally arrived at the Metropolitan Police Department, the car door had just opened. Miss Watanabe couldn't even spare a thought for her little grievances; she hurriedly struggled out of Uesugi Muneyuki's embrace, opened the door, and stepped out quickly. As a result, the moment the Face of the Metropolitan Police Department's high-heeled shoe hit the ground, her legs went soft, and she nearly fell to the ground, only to be quickly supported by Uesugi Muneyuki.

"What's wrong with her?" Ikeda Erena looked at Uesugi Muneyuki suspiciously. She had just heard Police Inspector Watanabe let out a short, muffled sound, and then the Toyota car shook gently twice. At this moment, there was still an un-faded flush on her face.

"It's nothing, Watanabe is tired." Uesugi Muneyuki smiled meaningfully, wiping his fingers with a tissue: "Thank you for your hard work, Driver Ikeda. After finishing the report, take me home."

Ikeda Erena's eyes lit up completely; this meant Uesugi Muneyuki was inviting her to spend the night at Sakata Bridge!

"Yes!!!"

……………………

The confrontation between the Superintendent General and the Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat also came to an end.

Watanabe Eiji's complexion was extremely ugly.

It was actually Oshima Kenzaburo, the Investigation Division 1 Chief he had personally appointed, who had sold information to the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Team!

It was actually him?!

And according to information leaked from the Public Security within the Prosecutors Office to the National Police Agency Public Security, the reason Oshima Kenzaburo sold the information was that when he was previously a station chief at a local branch, he had accepted 58 million yen in dirty money from local enterprises through various means, which had been uncovered by the District Public Prosecutors Office.

Under the threat of the District Public Prosecutors Office, Oshima Kenzaburo was forced to betray the Metropolitan Police Department, secretly informing the District Public Prosecutors Office of the deduction Uesugi Muneyuki had obtained from Kosaka Shinichiro, which led to the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Team's action of searching the waste warehouse.

It was just that Kosaka Shinichiro had reported to his superiors that Mrs. Tsuda was very likely in the waste warehouse, but he had not said it was certain she was in a waste bin. Due to a twist of fate, although the District Public Prosecutors Office noticed the waste bins, because of the massive workload and the impossibility of obtaining permission from the University of Tokyo, there was naturally no reason to open them one by one to drain and check them all, and the District Public Prosecutors Office did not have enough medical knowledge to support them in doing so.

So that was it!

Just a little, just a tiny bit, and the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Team had almost failed at the last hurdle. No wonder Director General Nishikawa of the District Public Prosecutors Office was so angry.

Watanabe Eiji also broke out in a cold sweat.

The matter in the United States before was also leaked by Oshima on purpose, right!

Oshima! You are finished!!!

"The ability of the last two Investigation Division 1 Chiefs hasn't been very good, Eiji. This time, this kind of thing happened again. Of course, we are all police; internal problems should be solved internally. I didn't intend to let the outside world know about this, but since this has happened, Division Chief Oshima should still..." Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat Onoda said indifferently.

"Resign." Watanabe Eiji said without hesitation: "Poor health; let him submit his resignation himself, otherwise he will be dismissed for disciplinary reasons."

"Very good." Director of the Commissioner's Secretariat Onoda nodded: "In that case, the position of Investigation Division 1 Chief is vacant. May I recommend a candidate?"

"???" Watanabe Eiji narrowed his eyes, signaling for Onoda to continue.

"Since the Non-Career Track always has problems, plus this Todai Case, I think it is necessary to change the rules a little. This time, let the new Investigation Division 1 Chief be from the Career Track."

After speaking, Onoda handed a file to Watanabe Eiji.

"Graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law, Life Safety Division Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, a 56-year-old Career Track detective."

"Sugishita Ukyo!"

(End of chapter)