Chapter 215: Uesugi

That morning, when Uesugi Muneyuki, having been sent back to the Outer World by Senior Mai, faced the bustling traffic of Tokyo, he always felt a sense of unreality. It was as if there were a rift between this world and the one where the two of them had practiced martial arts together the night before, leaving him feeling quite out of place.

However, Uesugi Muneyuki's mental fortitude was very strong. He had even slowly accepted the facts of transmigration and having changed parents to become a Japanese person; traveling back and forth between the Outer World and the Inner World was not that difficult.

It was precisely this point that Shirakawa Mai envied the most.

After a night of "training," all the souls in Uesugi Muneyuki's body had been "drained," and his sacral chakra was now completely empty.

Thus, upon returning to the Special Mission Unit, Uesugi Muneyuki immediately threw himself back into the Metropolitan Police Department's great cause of performing autopsies and solving cases with immense enthusiasm, because he did not know any other way to replenish his Otherworld Energy besides triggering a Death Soul Contract through autopsies.

However, before that, Uesugi Muneyuki still had a few matters to handle.

The first was the issue of applying for the Metropolitan Police Department's women's dormitory for Sister Mikoto. In reality, Sister Mikoto's application did not conform to the rules; she was officially attached to the Forensic Medicine Department of the Medical and Dental University hospital and was not part of the Metropolitan Police Department's formal establishment, not even having passed her probationary period.

But with the help of Miss Watanabe, this matter was still seen through, and Uesugi Muneyuki successfully applied for the Metropolitan Police Department's affiliated women's dormitory in Toshima for Ishihara Mikoto.

It was only then that Sister Mikoto realized how much power Uesugi Muneyuki possessed. She could finally move out of that attic above the oden shop. On the day she received the transfer order, Uesugi Muneyuki accompanied her to move. The only slightly puzzling thing was that when the Forensic Beauty arrived, she was wearing flesh-colored silk stockings; when moving, the stockings on her legs changed to gray pearlescent silk stockings; and by the time she returned to the Metropolitan Police Department after the move was finished, the stockings on her legs had disappeared again. This made Eirina feel a bit strange and she asked about it proactively, causing Sister Mikoto to rush to the locker room to change into a new pair.

As for having Sister Mikoto adopt Asuka, Uesugi Muneyuki had not yet taken the initiative to propose it; he wanted to find a more suitable time.

Then there was the matter of the engagement.

In mid-August, Uesugi Muneyuki formally brought Watanabe Minami to visit the Uesugi Residence located in Bunkyo Ward.

Miss Watanabe had made very meticulous preparations for this visit. She prepared a pale gray, skin-tight, bitter-tea-brown pleated pure white dress, wore no jewelry, applied a nude makeup look, and paired it only with a pair of small white high heels and ultra-thin invisible flesh-colored silk stockings for the visit.

An elegant long dress, soft long hair, and the light nude makeup on her face.

Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori and his parents, Uesugi Hironori and Uesugi Tomoko, were all quite satisfied with this prospective daughter-in-law. They were only a bit concerned that Minami was still serving as the Chief of the Special Mission Unit. After all, in the eyes of such traditional Peerage, it would be best for Minami to transfer to an internal, leisurely position now, and then resign from work after marriage to become a full-time housewife.

However, since their younger son had been adopted as an Adopted Son-in-law, the Uesugi family could not easily express their objections directly.

Miss Watanabe presented Uesugi Hironori and his wife with two gifts: a bottle of "Fourteenth Generation" Daiginjo sake worth 150,000 yen and a piece of Kutani Ware Snow Wheel Silver Tea Set designated as an Imperial Household Agency purveyor.

Uesugi Hironori was very satisfied with the prospective daughter-in-law's gift; he kept the Imperial Household Agency purveyor tea set in his hands the entire time, unable to put it down.

For Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori, Miss Watanabe presented a Hokkaido Red Ginseng and a complete "Kyukyodo" Silver Age Stationery Set.

Uesugi Kuninori was a man who had seen it all, having been born before the Peerage system was even abolished; he merely nodded and smiled faintly.

His grandfather was of noble lineage; his maternal grandmother's father was none other than Shimazu Tadayoshi, the last Feudal Lord of the Satsuma Domain. Another daughter of Shimazu Tadayoshi was Empress Kojun, making her a legitimate relative of Uesugi Kuninori. Grandfather had to call Empress Kojun his great-aunt, and he himself was a cousin to the current head of the Tokugawa Clan, Tokugawa Tsunenari.

As for his older brother Uesugi Sadanori, Miss Watanabe's gift was very simple. Following Uesugi Muneyuki's guidance, she gave him a Tokyo National Library co-branded notebook and the newly released Sony PRS-T1 e-reader.

Yes, Uesugi Sadanori was actually a hidden hardcore Sony fan.

Support domestic products! Sony is great! Faith is priceless; I must protect Ifu's smile!

The Uesugi family's return gift was a bolt of Uzen Yonezawa Weave. This was Japan's top-tier silk fabric, using the finest raw silk, "Yonezawa Silk," reeled in low-temperature water to give the silk a soft, moist luster. A 12-meter bolt of Yonezawa Weave was worth over 3 million yen.

Their own family had essentially brought out their most prized treasures from the bottom of the chest.

Seeing that their return gift was actually Uzen Yonezawa Weave, Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself that this was truly a massive expenditure.

After the gifts were presented, Uesugi Muneyuki, along with Watanabe Minami, formally apologized to his father, Uesugi Hironori, for the previous incident of talking back to his parents. The younger son knelt on both knees and sincerely humbled himself before his own father, kowtowing once.

Uesugi Hironori was, firstly, surprised that Uesugi Muneyuki had actually yielded, and secondly, surprised that Watanabe Minami, as his fiancée, had known about this and indicated that she had arranged it. Considering that after Uesugi Kuninori retired, the main family might still need to rely on this younger son, the father hesitated for a moment, offered a few symbolic criticisms, and then the mother acted as a peacemaker and said a few soft words, and the previous matter was considered settled.

Subsequently, Uesugi Muneyuki informed his grandfather and father about the matter of the branch family.

The Watanabe Family compromised, indicating that they could formally merge into the Uesugi family externally, existing as a new Uesugi branch family. After marriage, Uesugi Muneyuki would not need to change his surname; it was Minami who would have to change hers.

However, Watanabe Eiji also demanded that while they could claim to be a branch family externally, internally, Uesugi Muneyuki was effectively being taken in as an Adopted Son-in-law. The main family had no right to interfere with or command the branch family. This was the bottom line: the branch family and the main family were equal, merely using the Uesugi surname.

Uesugi Kuninori and Uesugi Hironori had no reason to oppose this result, but after Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami left, the father and son discussed the matter in private.

"The Watanabe side is truly unexpected," Uesugi Hironori said to his father, who was sitting in his old man's rocking chair. "Changing the surname to Uesugi and severing their own family name—what is their intention? Could it be that they are eyeing the main family's name?"

"It is possible," Uesugi Kuninori nodded solemnly. "However, isn't Yukimatsumaru also your son? And we have already decided that Chitokumaru will inherit the family name, and the other party has agreed to this. In such a situation, having a branch family might not be a bad thing."

"Regarding the upbringing of children, even now I still need Father to worry; I am truly ashamed." Uesugi Hironori was a bit embarrassed. His failed visit had not solved the problem but instead soured his relationship with his younger son, and he only discovered afterward that Minami had actually agreed to it. Now he had become the clown.

"If a child is not taught, it is the father's fault; if teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness," Uesugi Kuninori opened his eyes and said in a deep voice. "The main family has always had a very difficult time with heirs. Yukimatsumaru has already received the recognition of the University of Tokyo and will formally enter the University of Tokyo in a few days, but Chitokumaru's archaeological research is not so easy to produce results... Even if I have to stake my old bones and lose face, I must send Chitokumaru into the University of Tokyo."

"Father..." Uesugi Hironori was silent for a while, looking a bit dejected. "It is this son's incompetence."

"Having a branch family is also fine; in the future, we can look after each other. If the main line of Chitokumaru declines, we can still adopt an excellent child from Yukimatsumaru's branch family. After all, even if the meat is rotten, it is still in the pot... However, I probably won't live to see that time. Takematsumaru, trust in the wisdom of the descendants."

"............" Uesugi Hironori thought to himself, trust my foot, I am the descendant!

"Oh, by the way, next year's Taiga Drama, *Gunshi Kanbei*, has invited me as a historical advisor. It just so happens that I plan to have Chitokumaru and Yukimatsumaru make guest appearances in the drama as Lord Kagekatsu and Uesugi Kagetora," Uesugi Kuninori said, a smile appearing on his face. "This was even proposed by NHK proactively."

"Eh? Guest appearances in a Taiga Drama?" Uesugi Hironori's eyes lit up. "Finally!"

"Yes, because for over a year, Yukimatsumaru's activity has caused the entire Kanto region to remember us again," Uesugi Kuninori thought for a moment. "What about your plan? You have prepared for so many years; you should hurry up and get it done while I have not yet completely retired and Yukimatsumaru has not yet completely broken away from the main family!"

Uesugi Hironori nodded. By leveraging the influence of his father and son, he intended to pull off something big.

Establish the Yonezawa Uesugi Cultural Promotion Foundation!

……………………

After handling his private affairs, Uesugi Muneyuki focused his attention back on the Tokyo Woman's Christian University student disappearance case.

At this point, more than two weeks had passed since Hirasawa Yui disappeared. She was neither seen alive nor dead, and the Metropolitan Police Department could not keep its attention focused on this one missing person case forever. Therefore, after Investigation Division 1 Chief Sugishita Ukyo personally went to the scene to inspect and investigate, the Metropolitan Police Department had no choice but to hand the case over to the Suginami Police Station to follow up, and Investigation Division 1 would no longer expend more energy on this matter.

As for how a disappearance case would be investigated when handed over to a local police station, everyone understood.

The clues ended there. Uesugi Muneyuki had originally hoped that the Inner World existence would appear again to commit a crime, but he waited in vain, so in the end, he could not determine whether that Inner World existence was indeed that host, Takigawa Tsubasa.

Superintendent Ichijo Kaoru from Public Security promised to help investigate, but even for Public Security, if the other party did not commit a crime, Public Security had no way to act.

The most difficult cases were these: a high-IQ criminal with special abilities who vanished into thin air after committing a crime once, leaving the police with almost no angle to solve the case.

And just like that, with Ishihara Mikoto's formal employment, the work of the Special Mission Unit gradually stabilized. Uesugi Muneyuki lived a quite fulfilling life: performing autopsies and working, practicing Karate with Master Eirina from time to time, taking one day a week to go to Senior Mai's house to "get beaten," going on dates with Minami, and teasing the housekeeper Ashūshū at home.

And after awakening his second "Death Flashback" ability, the Metropolitan Police Department clearly felt that Uesugi Muneyuki's autopsy skills had reached another level.

The happiest person among them was Miss Watanabe.

It felt so quiet; there were no major cases in Tokyo. For the entire month of August, there wasn't even a single homicide. It was so different from before; perhaps the Uesugi + Ishihara combination had kept all homicides away from Tokyo?

However, these things were no longer important.

On a clear morning in early September, Miss Watanabe held a cup of coffee, quietly waiting for it to cool down, while also waiting for her seniority to accumulate, waiting for Uesugi Muneyuki to continuously send in achievements from the front lines, waiting for the Oofurisode Kimono she was having made with Yonezawa Weave, and waiting for the engagement ceremony in November.

Everything was calm and peaceful with nothing happening; everyone in the Metropolitan Police Department was working hard, and the Special Mission Unit was becoming increasingly important.

After finishing the cup of coffee, Miss Watanabe began to prepare for work.

Uesugi Muneyuki, Eirina, Okada, and Shiyuan have gone out on field duty again; as the unit chief, she must also work hard!

She will prove that what our Special Mission Unit has accumulated all this time has not been entirely in vain, and from now on, as long as we do not stop our steps, the glory belonging to the Special Mission Unit will continue to extend...

Yes, Tokyo is calm and peaceful, and the atmosphere of "peace in all directions and abundant harvests every year," which Detectives love most, is lingering around Sakuradamon.

However, the Mitsui Real Estate branch in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, has encountered a strange matter...

(End of this chapter)