Chapter 209: A War Between Women!

As they were speaking, two people entered from outside.

The moment they appeared, every officer in the entire Investigation Division 1 dropped what they were doing, stood up in unison, stood solemnly in place, and bowed slightly.

Even Police Inspector Shiratori hurriedly abandoned Ishihara Mikoto, trotted over to find his place in the formation, and like planets orbiting the sun, they all bowed toward the position where he stood.

The leader was tall and possessed an overwhelming presence, while the one following him was thinner and stood behind him with a somewhat sycophantic look on his face.

Who were these two? Ishihara Mikoto looked over with curiosity.

"Where is Ukyo?" the leader glanced around, failing to find the figure of the Investigation Division 1 Chief.

"Director General, Department Manager, the Division Chief is out investigating a case," Management Officer Megure hurriedly stepped up. "It concerns the missing student case at Tokyo Woman's Christian University; the Division Chief has taken Itami and the others from the Fifth Section to the scene to investigate."

"That is exactly what I came to ask about." The visitors were none other than Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji and Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura Kanji. "The school is taking this matter very seriously; why is there still no lead?"

"This... we are currently searching as hard as we can," Investigation Division 1 could only answer awkwardly.

"What about the Special Mission Unit?" Watanabe Eiji frowned. As expected, Investigation Division 1 relied heavily on Uesugi Muneyuki's abilities, but after Uesugi Muneyuki suffered heatstroke, the Metropolitan Police Department had become a bit afraid to use him recklessly, recently arranging for him to rest while on duty at the headquarters.

"We gave the data to Forensic Examiner Uesugi, but without a body, we cannot determine if the missing person is dead or alive, and the Forensic Examiner also expressed that there is nothing he can do," said Police Inspector Shiratori of the Second Division.

"Really, you in Investigation Division 1 should feel ashamed! Forensic Examiner Uesugi has already helped you solve 80% of your cases. Every case involving a body has had his assistance; your division's goal now is to solve the remaining few! That guy Ukyo is really something too! A proper Division Chief, actually going to the scene himself? I don't know how he became Division Chief! Incompetent, truly incompetent, to be absent in front of the Superintendent General; I am going to speak with the Police Affairs Department about this!" said Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura Kanji.

"Uchimura, I also went to the front lines often when I was a Division Chief," Watanabe Eiji suddenly said.

Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura immediately turned bright red: "Er, this, I was just..."

"Pfft!" Ishihara Mikoto, standing to the side, couldn't help it and burst into laughter.

"???" Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura was already embarrassed, and hearing someone laugh at him, blood rushed to his head instantly. He pointed at Ishihara Mikoto and roared: "Who are you? Why are you here? What is she here for? Who allowed her in?"

The scene fell into silence.

"Hello, I am Ishihara Mikoto, the newly appointed Forensic Assistant to the Special Mission Unit of Investigation Division 1. Er, sirs, please treat me well." The Forensic Beauty really couldn't hold back her laughter, so she lowered her head and bowed in greeting: "Apologies, I thought the Special Mission Unit was here..."

Department Manager Uchimura was about to erupt, but Watanabe Eiji spoke up: "Oh, you must be that new Forensic Assistant hired by Forensic Examiner Uesugi? The Special Mission Unit is not here; come with me, I happen to have business with him as well."

After saying this, Watanabe Eiji gave Ishihara Mikoto a rather strange look.

A female forensic expert? Judging by her appearance, she was no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. So young? And so beautiful?

Where on earth did Uesugi Muneyuki dig up someone like this?

But it didn't matter; as long as his Adopted Son-in-law liked her, that was fine.

With that, Watanabe Eiji began walking toward the outside.

"Hey, hurry and follow!" Police Inspector Shiratori of the Second Division hurriedly signaled for the Forensic Beauty to follow: "A new hire being led by the Superintendent General himself in the Metropolitan Police Department! You are the first in history to have this happen!"

"Ah? Oh! Okay!" Ishihara Mikoto hurriedly followed with quick steps.

Along the way, Watanabe Eiji carried an air of great authority, and Ishihara Mikoto was radiant and bright. The two of them felt even more awkward inside the elevator. It wasn't until the elevator was halfway there that Watanabe Eiji finally spoke: "You saw the situation just now; Investigation Division 1 is currently heavily dependent on the Special Mission Unit, but Forensic Examiner Uesugi is only human after all. He worked hard last month, and I hope your arrival can help relieve some of his pressure."

"Yes, I will do my best," Ishihara Mikoto said quite naturally: "Please trust in Uesugi-kun's judgment, won't you."

"???" Watanabe Eiji frowned upon hearing this, thinking to himself, why is this female forensic expert suddenly so confident?

But he had always been a man of deep reserve, so he said nothing more.

The elevator descended, passing the Organized Crime Countermeasures Department, and the large sign for the Special Mission Unit appeared ahead.

Ishihara Mikoto had been full of anticipation at first, but the moment she entered the door, the Forensic Beauty felt a sudden sense of disappointment.

The office was not large, and the decor was very simple office style. There were only three people sitting there in total, though the desk space was quite large, and the incandescent lights on the ceiling were very bright.

"Knock knock~" Watanabe Eiji tapped on the room door: "Everyone, hold on a moment."

The people in the room looked up, and upon seeing that it was the Superintendent General himself, they hurriedly rose from their seats: "Superintendent General?"

"This is your new colleague, Uesugi's new Forensic Assistant," Watanabe Eiji said casually, then asked: "Is Uesugi inside?"

"Yes, he is inside."

"Good, then introduce yourself; I have business with him." Watanabe Eiji signaled for Ishihara Mikoto to introduce herself first, then walked directly into the office of Uesugi Muneyuki of the Special Mission Unit.

This left Watanabe Minami, Ikeda Erena, and Okada Masayoshi staring wide-eyed at Ishihara Mikoto.

"Why is she a beauty?" Miss Minami and Erena looked at the Forensic Beauty, who was dressed in fashionable clothes and meticulously made up, and big question marks appeared over their heads.

This, this wasn't right, was it? According to their imagination, the female forensic expert Uesugi Muneyuki hired should have been a woman around forty years old, sturdy, broad-shouldered, with indistinct gender characteristics, capable of doing dirty, tiring work and handling field assignments.

How did a great beauty of twenty-seven or twenty-eight show up instead?

What exactly did Uesugi hire? Was he looking for an assistant or a secretary?

Both Minami and Erena showed expressions of confusion.

"Why are they all beauties?" Ishihara Mikoto looked at Watanabe Minami and Ikeda Erena inside the Special Mission Unit, also wearing a face full of question marks.

Wasn't the Special Mission Unit supposed to be the ace department of the Metropolitan Police Department? Wasn't it supposed to be the final trump card of Investigation Division 1?

How did the four-person Special Mission Unit end up with two beauties inside?

Wouldn't that mean only two people were actually doing the work? Just Uesugi-kun and this rather handsome male detective?

Wait, could it be that Uesugi-kun has always been working in this kind of environment?

No wonder he wanted to hire me; otherwise, carrying such a heavy burden all the way would be too exhausting, right?

It doesn't matter, little brother, big sister is here to help you!

The Forensic Beauty couldn't help but feel a bit moved at the thought that the so-called Special Mission Unit only had two people doing the work, and yet Uesugi Muneyuki had achieved so much while carrying the burden alone.

Yes, following the workplace changes after the Golden Age and the turn of the millennium, Japanese women themselves disliked having female subordinates. Especially elite women with real substance like Ishihara Mikoto had essentially become what one might call male-chauvinists; when they needed to hire subordinates, they would avoid hiring women if possible and try to hire men.

Even as women, they did not want to encounter female subordinates who would come in just to get pregnant, write complaints, or cause trouble.

This environment forced newly hired women to put in double the effort and sweat to prove they were there to work seriously; only in this way could they slowly be accepted by the workplace. From this perspective, they were also victims.

"Hello everyone... I am Ishihara Mikoto. Starting today, I will be working with you all as Uesugi's Forensic Assistant. Please treat me well." Ishihara Mikoto greeted the group earnestly.

"Hello, I am the Chief of the Special Mission Unit, Watanabe Minami; this is the Acting Unit Chief of the Special Mission Unit, Okada Masayoshi; and this is Police Sergeant Ikeda Erena, who has been seconded to the Special Mission Unit from the Criminal Investigation Division of Otsuka Station."

The scene was very awkward for a moment. The three women looked at one another, none of them speaking, until Okada Masayoshi coughed, and Watanabe Minami finally put on a standard, professional, toothy smile.

"Ah! You must be that one! The Superintendent General's daughter, the one preparing to get engaged to Uesugi-kun?" Ishihara Mikoto looked at Watanabe Minami's sweet, apple-like face and instantly understood: "The Face of the Metropolitan Police Department?"

"Hi~ that's me!" Watanabe Minami's eyes lit up; Ishihara Mikoto's words instantly won Minami's favor.

"Oh, oh, oh! A pleasure, a real pleasure! When I heard Uesugi-kun mention you before, I wondered what kind of person you would be; it turns out you are so beautiful!"

"Hehehe, welcome, welcome."

Minami had passed this hurdle, but when it came to Eirina, the attitude of both parties became subtle: "This is Ikeda Eirina, who previously partnered with Forensic Examiner Uesugi at Otsuka Station and solved many cases!"

"Oh, oh, oh, hello, hello." The Forensic Beauty immediately took the initiative to shake hands with the tall beauty: "Wow, you are so tall!"

"Hello, Ms. Ishihara." Eirina felt very unnatural, especially since Ishihara Mikoto used Uesugi Muneyuki's surname so naturally and affectionately, just as affectionately as she herself called Uesugi: "Did you know Uesugi-kun before?"

It was clearly me who came first!

"I did, didn't Uesugi-kun tell you?" Ishihara Mikoto feigned surprise, covering her sexy lips with her hand: "When I first met him, he was still a high school student!"

It was clearly me who came first!

"Hmm?!" Upon hearing this, both Minami and Eirina changed their expressions.

Come to think of it, it seems so; Uesugi Muneyuki had once mentioned that he chose to become a forensic pathologist because he met a mentor.

At first, they both thought this mentor was Professor Okochi.

Could it be? Is the so-called mentor Uesugi Muneyuki spoke of actually this Forensic Beauty before them?

Minami did not feel it as obviously, but Eirina, who was dull in other aspects, could uniquely sense a distinct intimacy in Ishihara Mikoto's words.

Just like how she herself spoke of Uesugi Muneyuki.

Wait, could it be?

Eirina immediately entered defensive mode.

Ishihara Mikoto is an enemy!

The Forensic Beauty also immediately sensed Eirina's hostility, thinking to herself, as expected, little brother-kun must have already done it with this tall beauty before her.

Ikeda Eirina is an enemy!

In the small Special Mission Unit, sparks were flying.

……………………

At the same time, inside the room, Watanabe Eiji placed a notice in front of Uesugi Muneyuki: "Yamada Aika is dead, in the detention center."

"What? Yamada Aika is dead?" Uesugi Muneyuki took the notice.

"Yes, and according to the guards at the detention center, Yamada Aika's death is very strange." Watanabe Eiji said in a deep voice: "Furthermore, according to the Criminal Investigation Department's investigation, this matter may also be related to the missing female student case that just occurred at Tokyo Woman's Christian University."

(End of chapter)