Chapter 227: Yokohama Case, Multiple Points of Suspicion

PS: Asking for monthly votes on the last day; there will be an extra chapter if we reach 2000 monthly votes!

On the afternoon of September 19th, the Metropolitan Police Department Public Relations Division officially announced to the public that a second body had been discovered during the salvage operations in Tokyo Bay!

The body was again female. Confirmed by Forensic Examiner Uesugi, the body was indeed Hirasawa Yui, the protagonist of the Tokyo Woman's Christian University student disappearance case that had caused such a stir in August. With the consent of her family, her name and age had long been released to the public. When the Metropolitan Police Department officially announced this at the press conference, it, combined with the previous Yokohama Case, instantly ignited public opinion across society!

What are the Japanese police even doing?

We pay so much in taxes every year, only to be extorted by you officials—is this just so you can let serial killers run rampant and allow the Yakuza to wreak havoc?

Everyone previously thought that pouring concrete and dumping bodies into Tokyo Bay was a joke; who would have thought it was actually true!

"I am truly sorry." Facing the surging tide of people and the reporters' questioning, the Metropolitan Police Department Public Relations Division, represented by Togasaki Tomonobu, could only bow in apology and emphasize: "We have already formed a Joint Special Investigation Headquarters specifically to handle this case."

"May I ask, regarding the body, why isn't Forensic Examiner Uesugi here to answer questions?" a reporter from the Yomiuri newspaper said with dissatisfaction. "We don't believe your police lies. The Kanagawa Headquarters previously announced they had locked onto a suspect, but what was the result?"

"Forensic Examiner Uesugi has already headed to the Special Investigation Headquarters to assist in the investigation." Section Chief Togasaki had to swallow his pride, bearing the countless insults and hateful glares, and bowed to indicate: "The Metropolitan Police Department will do everything in its power to solve this case!"

But the impact of this incident had already exploded.

Nearly half of the Kanto region paid attention to this press conference. When they learned that both victims were female, had both mysteriously disappeared and been dumped, and had both been cut into pieces by a sharp blade, anti-wolf sprays at convenience stores along the Tokyo Bay coast sold out overnight. Commuters walking quickly through the docks lowered their heads to scroll through tweets of "body drift simulation maps," their eyes darting vigilantly above their masks.

Housewives exchanged unverified screenshots of "mysterious disappearances of women living alone" in LINE groups, and elementary and middle schools added safety classes on "not leaving with strangers."

Izakaya televisions played looped, blurred footage of the bodies. Regulars sipped their drinks in silence, and owners closed up two hours early—even though the police claimed there were "no signs of serial crimes," no one wanted to pass by that sea surface reflecting the police lights at night.

Under the Odaiba Ferris wheel, housewives clutching anti-wolf alarms pulled their daughters by the wrist and hurried away. Sightseeing boat reservations were canceled by fifty percent. Panic, like the sticky rainy season, seeped into daily life. Behind every "stay safe," there was a crack in the myth of public order opening in the shadows.

All seafood markets and meat processing plants along the Tokyo Bay line were temporarily closed and subjected to inspections.

The daily seafood transaction volume at the Tokyo Toyosu Market (formerly Tsukiji Market) plummeted by 40%.

The entire Tokyo Metropolis was in a state of utter chaos.

TV Tokyo also broadcast a special program. Following the two consecutive dismemberment and sea-dumping cases in Tokyo Bay, TV Tokyo still reluctantly aired a special program titled "Due to the Impact of the Serial Dumping Cases, All Supermarkets and Convenience Stores in Tokyo Have Removed Large Black Plastic Bags from Shelves." They used this to discuss the massive impact on nearby hotel and tourism industries. The host also emphasized that "the police have strengthened patrols and commercial activities are operating normally," asking everyone to maintain confidence in the government and the police!

At the same time, the Cabinet also received a huge shock because of this case. Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda Kimiaki called National Police Agency Commissioner Kaneko Takuro again, demanding that he must produce results within 10 days; otherwise, he could forget about becoming a director at the Japan Ship Construction Association in Yokohama. He could just roll off to some deep mountain forest in Shikoku to be a fire watcher!

Commissioner Kaneko was only one month away from retirement and was truly devastated by this. He found Watanabe Eiji and cried for help.

Brother Eiji, save me!

But the pressure Watanabe Eiji faced was also immense. The Superintendent General only managed to stay calm enough to tell Commissioner Kaneko not to panic, while silently praying to the Hachiman Great Bodhisattva and Bishamonten in his heart.

Where is my son Muneyuki?

Also in the dead of night, Yokohama City, Mitsui Garden Hotel.

The Sumitomo Mitsui Group had made its move.

The entire Metropolitan Police Department Investigation Division 1 First, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Units, the Special Mission Unit, the Organized Crime Control Division 5, and the Public Security Department's SAT team received strong support from the Sumitomo Mitsui Group. Executive Director Sato, who had successfully escaped, took the initiative to sign the bill, booking an entire floor of the hotel for everyone in the Metropolitan Police Department, and told them that the Sumitomo Mitsui Group would provide all support within legal limits for this special investigation.

At the same time, all Mitsui Real Estate employees who had contact with Igarashi Aiko were called to the hotel by the Sumitomo Mitsui Group for the Metropolitan Police Department to question one by one.

With the help of the Mitsui conglomerate, the Metropolitan Police Department was able to obtain some very important information.

Police Inspector Kosaka of the First Unit learned an important clue from residents near the Igarashi Residence.

Nearby residents mentioned that about a week before the incident, they had heard intense arguments near Aiko's home. The male voice was loud and the female voice was soft, so they could not determine if it was Aiko herself, but they heard the man say some chilling things like "I really love you, can you give me another chance," "I need your help," "I really can't live without you," and "I'm dead without you."

Later, about 5 days before the incident, they heard another argument, but this time it only lasted a few minutes, and the man was still begging desperately.

Emotional factors?

Police Inspector Kashiwagi of the Third Unit also found some clues.

Police Inspector Kashiwagi learned through investigation that the victim's ex-husband, Asakura, lived in Kanagawa Prefecture. After divorcing Igarashi Aiko, Asakura lived alone for a while, then found a new girlfriend, but the two failed at running a cafe together. Asakura was heavily in debt and was now relying on part-time work to pay it off.

As for the ex-boyfriend the victim couldn't forget, Department Manager Naito, he worked as a director at Mitsui Property in Tokyo and usually stayed in Tokyo. It was unclear if they were still involved, but there was no clear evidence to prove he was involved in this case. He went to work normally during the day and had an alibi, but as someone living alone, he had the possibility of committing the crime at night.

Police Inspector Shimano of the Fourth Unit learned a strange thing through investigation and surveillance.

Two weeks before Igarashi Aiko disappeared, someone saw two men gathering near the residential complex multiple times. The time was in the dead of night when there were few people around, and they would linger for quite a long time each time before leaving.

That night, the Metropolitan Police Department also questioned Igarashi Aiko's colleagues.

"The Department Manager was a very excellent person. She knew how to take care of her subordinates and liked to do everything herself, but she also trusted us very much. She would always tirelessly work until late at night. Whenever a problem arose, she would take the responsibility herself to protect us. Everyone respected and trusted her," a subordinate Mitsui employee said. "We are also very sorry that this happened."

"Hmm." Uesugi Muneyuki, who was asking the questions, said with great interest: "Did the victim ever mention her attitude toward relationships and marriage?"

"Yes!" a female employee said weakly. "The Department Manager once said that she liked matchmaking, she wanted to get married, and she didn't know when she would meet the right person again, but if someone introduced a match, she would go immediately."

"And the results?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked.

"The results were not very good. The Department Manager was a bit chubby and didn't like to dress up. She would start talking about work within three sentences of sitting down, and liked to treat the other person like a subordinate to teach them workplace experience, so the matchmaking usually didn't go anywhere." The female subordinate sighed: "I told the Department Manager many times, but she was very stubborn in thinking that she had married a man who couldn't accept talking about work at home last time, and this time she had to find a soulmate who could talk about work."

"Did she like to talk to you about her private life?" Miss Minami asked curiously.

"Yes, the Department Manager talked to us about almost everything."

In the descriptions of the employees, the image of an older female boss who was chubby, wore an optimistic smile on her face every day, worked hard, cared for her subordinates, liked to share workplace jokes and her private life with them, and kept a pile of snacks in her desk drawer emerged vividly. She loved her work, loved life, and longed for marriage.

But... she had now become cold pieces of a corpse.

"The Department Manager, perhaps she wasn't a good wife, but she was truly a good person. She cared for us, loved us. Every time there was responsibility, she took it, and every time there was credit, she gave it to us. We all liked her very much!" As they spoke, the subordinates became emotional: "Who would have thought she would just die like this! Mr. Detective, Forensic Examiner Uesugi, please, you must find the killer!"

"Please, you must find the killer!" All of Igarashi Aiko's subordinates in the entire department bowed in unison, their eyes filled with tears and their voices choked with sobs.

"Please, you must find the killer." Executive Director Sato also wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Uesugi Muneyuki nodded silently.

By this time, it was already very late. After dismissing the Mitsui Real Estate employees, Investigation Division 1 Chief Sugishita Ukyo also announced that everyone should return to their rooms to rest and wait until tomorrow to examine the scene at the Igarashi Residence.

Uesugi Muneyuki also returned to his room alone.

As a four-star hotel that balances business and leisure, the Mitsui Garden Hotel is known for its high cost-performance and convenience. Uesugi Muneyuki's room was a luxury view room of over 30 square meters, with a panoramic view of Yokohama's glorious nightscape.

The most famous thing about this hotel is the natural hot spring "Beauty Skin Hot Spring," which is the biggest highlight of the entire hotel!

The top floor (16th floor) has an observation hot spring public bath, with water from the Hakone Hot Spring. It is divided into men's and women's baths, including indoor baths and open-air baths (the winter snow-view hot spring is extremely popular).

After the case is solved, he will have a good soak.

But for now, he needs to shift his attention back to this case.

The Yokohama Case is very complicated.

There are three possibilities for Igarashi Aiko's cause of death alone: the personal grudge theory, the commercial dispute theory, and the father's duty retaliation theory.

At present, it is still impossible to determine exactly which kind it is.

Next is the suspect.

The ex-husband Asakura is undoubtedly the prime suspect, and Igarashi Aiko also clearly mentioned her ex-husband before she died.

But if Asakura only wanted money, then why commit murder? He only failed at starting a business and was working a job to pay off debts; it hadn't reached a desperate point, had it? If Asakura acted out of hatred from the divorce, then why did he wait so long to make a move? They have been divorced for nearly 10 years!

Fine, even if he was driven by a desire for money and turned love into hate, and a murderous intent arose during a dispute, and the ex-husband Asakura snuck into the room to kidnap Igarashi Aiko and demand she hand over money, then why would he dismember her body afterwards and dump it in Tokyo Bay? Where would a man who couldn't even keep a coffee shop business afloat get the professional skills and equipment?

Furthermore, there is another point that doesn't make sense.

The missing Briefcase.

If it were just murder out of hatred, then why go out of the way to take the Briefcase? This is a personal vendetta!

Then there is the former lover, Department Manager Naito.

Department Manager Naito might have enough reason to hate Igarashi Aiko; after all, he was forced to transfer to the United States because of her, and it would be very easy for him to get Igarashi Aiko to open her door, as she would surely welcome an old lover to rekindle their romance.

Uh, why is Uesugi Muneyuki so certain? Because he is one too.

But the problem is, if that were the case, why would Department Manager Naito wear a mask to break in? And why specifically take her to another location to interrogate her and have a heated confrontation?

Finally, there is Executive Director Sato.

In reality, from any angle, it is unlikely that Executive Director Sato is the killer, but the disappearance of the Briefcase means this case is very likely related to Executive Director Sato and the entire Yokohama City Revitalization Plan, so who might commit such a vicious act to oppose the Yokohama City Revitalization Plan?

And, the person repeatedly mentioned by Watanabe Eiji and the others: Igarashi Aiko's father, Igarashi Masataka.

Everyone has mentioned many times that when Igarashi Masataka served as Chief of Investigation Division 2, he offended quite a few people, so it is possible that former enemies and criminals he arrested held a grudge and chose to take revenge on his daughter.

The attitude of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police toward this matter is also very subtle.

They are working very hard to investigate, but all the inquiries are limited to personal vendettas and revenge related to her father; as for the issue of commercial sabotage by the Sumitomo Mitsui Group, it seems to have been intentionally or unintentionally ignored.

Is this the intention of the Kanagawa government and the Yokohama Mayor behind the scenes, or is there another mystery?

Uesugi Muneyuki believes that something must have been overlooked at the scene of the Igarashi Residence.

Interesting.

This is a case where the killer cannot be directly determined.

But Uesugi Muneyuki instead felt where the fun lay.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Just at this moment, the door rang.

(End of this chapter)