Chapter 309: The Previous Generation's Face of the Metropolitan Police Department

Kashiwagi Jin is 31 years old this year. Given that he joined the Metropolitan Police Department at 25, he should have been automatically promoted to Superintendent in his seventh year, having served as an Assistant Police Inspector in his first year and becoming a full Police Inspector in his second. As a member of the Career Track and the Todai Kinbyo-gumi, with his handsome, dashing looks and a pair of charming small eyes, he has been treated as a key talent to be groomed ever since he entered the Metropolitan Police Department.

It must be said that Kashiwagi Jin's ability in orthodox detective work is quite strong. After joining Investigation Division 1, Division Chief Mikasa and Director General Hakuba both thought highly of him. At the time, Kashiwagi Jin and the previous generation's Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, Kashiwagi Misa, also tied the knot under the matchmaking of Division Chief Mikasa. They could simply be called the golden boy and jade girl of the previous generation of the Metropolitan Police Department, and they received everyone's blessings.

Kashiwagi Misa's maiden name was Kato. Unlike the young lady Minami, her father was of the previous generation of American-Japanese mixed heritage (her grandfather was in the U. S. military stationed in Japan), and she has one-quarter African-American ancestry.

Her grandfather disappeared shortly after her father was born, and her father and mother disappeared shortly after she and her younger brother were born.

Therefore, coming from a single-parent family, Kashiwagi Misa did not have the great ambition to climb the ranks like the young lady Minami. She was very satisfied to have moved to the capital and been admitted to the Metropolitan Police Department, and because of her extremely outstanding looks, she became a temporary icon of the Metropolitan Police Department. When Division Chief Mikasa indicated that he wanted to introduce Kashiwagi Jin to her, she agreed without much thought at the time.

A member of the Tokyo University Gold Watch Group, handsome, and with a limitless future—what more could she be dissatisfied with?

After they married, the two of them did indeed have a nice honeymoon period... However, as the novelty faded after the honeymoon, Kashiwagi Misa realized that Kashiwagi Jin was not the model husband she had imagined. He was not a villain or a bad person, but...

"Dear, I think we need to have a good talk."

The light of the setting sun spilled over the floor-to-ceiling windows, weaving diamond-shaped light spots onto the black wooden floor. Kashiwagi Misa curled up on the off-white fabric sofa. Scattered on the gray cashmere rug were open Metropolitan Police Department documents. An ivory turtleneck sweater wrapped around her slender neck, and beneath her tartan skirt extended semi-sheer dark brown silk stockings. Her fluffy slippers hung precariously from her toes, revealing the delicate texture of her ankles pressed into creases.

She raised a hand to tuck her silky long hair behind her ear. Influenced by her mixed-race genes, her eye sockets were deeper than most Asians, holding light brown pupils. A few strands of naturally brown hair peeked out from her jet-black tresses. Her high-bridged nose and jawline maintained a sharp angle, as if the warm interior could not melt that innate sense of coldness.

"Misa..." Kashiwagi Jin was feeling irritable at the moment. He impatiently took off his coat, hung it on the rack, tossed his briefcase onto the table, and loosened his tie: "What is wrong with you today?"

"Dear, I am serious!" His wife offered him a bone china cup, the brown rice tea inside rising in a thin mist: "What exactly are you doing?"

"Huh?" Kashiwagi Jin could only manage to sit down, saying quite indignantly: "Are you going to lecture me too?"

"I am asking you, what exactly are you doing?!" Kashiwagi Misa slammed her empty cup onto the table. The unmelted snow outside the window made her entire face look cold and pale. A cold, sharp, and dangerous signal spread quietly along the curve of her slightly prominent cheekbones: "I don't believe you are that stupid! Stupid enough to rush directly to the Fujitsu headquarters to confront the son of a director!"

"What do you know?" Kashiwagi Jin waved his hand impatiently, signaling that she shouldn't ask about outside matters: "This is a matter for the Division, don't you worry about it!"

"What do I know? I understand everything!" Seeing that her husband was still unwilling to tell her the truth, Kashiwagi Misa suddenly sneered: "How is it? How does it feel to be the focus of the entire Metropolitan Police Department? Does it feel great?"

"??? ！！!" Kashiwagi Jin's eyes widened sharply: "What are you spouting? Misa, are you talking about this Fujitsu case? Anyone with eyes can see that Kazama Yumi's death..."

"Yes, I know. You have probably forgotten, but I was involved in this case two and a half years ago." Kashiwagi Misa sighed. Her porcelain-white skin, unique to mixed-race individuals, glowed with the luster of mother-of-pearl. Against the backdrop of her black silk-like hair, she looked like a snow woman stepping out of an ukiyo-e painting: "You must know something, right?"

"At the time, Division Chief Mikasa received a heads-up from Fujitsu..." Kashiwagi Jin was even more irritable, and he said somewhat hysterically: "I am clearly standing on the side of justice! I can truly confirm that it was Odagiri who stole Kazama's results, forcing her to commit suicide! The outside world doesn't understand me, the department doesn't understand me. Misa, don't you understand me either? I am justice, I am justice!"

"No, I understand you. I understand you too well." Kashiwagi Misa felt no fluctuation at her husband's emotion; she just quietly watched Kashiwagi Jin, who was filled with a mix of fanaticism and excitement, that expression of having the great cause in his hands: "I am asking you, how does it feel to be a hero with justice in your hands? How does it feel to play the role of a lone hero fighting the world with your own strength? Are you satisfied? Do you still have to act at home?"

The fanatical look on Kashiwagi Jin's face stopped abruptly. His eyes, still bloodshot, stared fixedly at his wife, like a dragon whose treasure vault had been discovered, eager to hide his own weakness: "I didn't... I just..."

Watching her husband's expression, Kashiwagi Misa sighed softly.

She knew her husband wasn't that stupid. How could a member of the Todai Kinbyo-gumi be a fool?

He wasn't stupid; Kashiwagi Jin was doing this on purpose. The reason was simple: he wanted to be in the spotlight!

He was jealous of Uesugi Muneyuki! He was jealous to the point of madness!

Before Uesugi Muneyuki appeared, Kashiwagi Jin was the star Police Inspector of the Metropolitan Police Department, known as the final trump card of the Metropolitan Police Department, an A+++ grade treasure hidden at the bottom of the box, a protagonist template with unparalleled popularity.

But after Uesugi Muneyuki appeared, everything changed. That thing, Uesugi, was an EX-grade Tenchi Kairi Kantei no Hoshi.

As long as there was a corpse, there was no case Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't solve. He could even solve the Todai Case, which didn't even have a corpse to begin with!

Consequently, Kashiwagi Jin's spotlight was stolen, the focus was stolen, and the title of the final trump card of the Metropolitan Police Department was stolen.

If Kashiwagi Jin were a dark-minded, despicable, shameless, and two-faced villain, that would be one thing.

But it just so happened that Kashiwagi Jin's nature was not bad. He was just eager for quick success, he was just superstitious about orthodox detective work, he was just a show-off, a slave to glory!

Yes, Kashiwagi Misa only discovered this after they were married. She found that her handsome, dashing, and upright-looking husband was indeed honest, enthusiastic, full of hot blood, and hated evil, but deep beneath these virtues, he was a slave to glory.

He didn't care about money, nor did he particularly care about promotion, but he couldn't do without attention, without flowers and applause. For him, having a halo and being covered in honors with a room full of cheers was the most important thing in his life.

Including marrying her—Kashiwagi Jin didn't choose her for her beauty, nor for her housekeeping or professional ability, or even her personality. He chose her for her status as the "Face of the Metropolitan Police Department" and the huge buzz generated by the union of a golden boy and jade girl.

She was like a medal on his chest, a testament to his achievements.

She really didn't know whether to laugh or cry about this husband of hers.

Kashiwagi Jin acknowledged Uesugi Muneyuki's ability, and he acknowledged Uesugi Muneyuki's achievements. Her husband was not a bad or stupid person; he could distinguish between good and evil, order and chaos. But every time she came home, all she could hear from her husband's mouth was "Uesugi Muneyuki, Uesugi Muneyuki, Uesugi Muneyuki." Kashiwagi Jin couldn't go three sentences without mentioning Uesugi. He had a very twisted feeling toward Uesugi Muneyuki, a mix of jealousy and obsession. He would cheer loudly for Uesugi Muneyuki, applaud him, and give him a thumbs up, yet he wished he could take his place.

He had been suppressed for too long. This time was an explosion of that suppression pushed to the extreme. His orthodox detective work confirmed that Odagiri was involved in this matter, and he also vaguely knew that Division Chief Mikasa had been warned by Fujitsu to erase the extra traces, so he exploded. He couldn't wait to explode. He returned to the spotlight, and he stirred up a storm in the name of justice.

Kashiwagi Jin's mental state was not one of depression, loss, or frustration, but of excitement—extreme excitement. He was now a lone hero fighting the system, the embodiment of justice!

"Misa, I am doing something insatiable." Kashiwagi Jin knew he had plunged the Metropolitan Police Department into a storm: "But I am not wrong!"

"Dear, I beg you." Kashiwagi Misa knew her husband too well. She could only earnestly persuade him: "Don't continue. Even if you don't consider me, can you at least consider former Division Chief Mikasa?"

"Back then, you wrongly arrested Uesugi Muneyuki and even handcuffed him, almost getting exiled to Shikoku. It was Division Chief Mikasa who took the initiative to resign, trading his throne as Division Chief for your safe landing. Don't you have any gratitude for him? If you bring this up again, how are we, as a married couple, supposed to stay in the Metropolitan Police Department in the future?"

"What do you know, Misa!" Sure enough, what Kashiwagi Jin couldn't accept most was someone denying him: "I have to be responsible for the late Kazama Yumi!"

"Then what about me? Don't you need to be responsible for me and this home? Don't you need to be responsible for Division Chief Mikasa? And, don't you need to be responsible for the Cherry Blossom Badge on your chest?" Kashiwagi Misa's cold, beautiful eyes filled with tears as she earnestly persuaded him: "Dear, think about it. Didn't you become a detective for the sake of justice? If you even lose your status as a detective, how can you uphold justice? For the past six months, you've only come home every few days, sometimes without saying a word. I haven't had a single complaint. I thought I would just manage the home well so you could work with peace of mind. I never disturb you. Even so, do you still want your justice?"

"I... you don't need to worry about my affairs. If it really comes to that... you can just stay in the Metropolitan Police Department." Kashiwagi Jin was not shaken in the slightest. He felt uncomfortable and restless staying at home. After thinking for a moment, he simply picked up his briefcase again: "Ah, I forgot, I have something to do. I won't be back tonight. Misa, get some rest early."

After saying this, Kashiwagi Jin picked up his briefcase and put on his suit coat as if he were fleeing. Without waiting for his wife to call out, he hurried out of the house.

He didn't feel comfortable in this home. His wife, the previous generation's Face of the Metropolitan Police Department, was unwilling to be a simple cheerleader and supporter. Sometimes he was satisfied with her cold, beautiful temperament like the snow on Mount Fuji in front of outsiders, but sometimes he was dissatisfied that she was the same way at home.

He might as well go find that Tokyo University student, Hayakawa Nanami. She was different from Misa. Although her looks and temperament were far inferior to his wife's, she would blindly support and encourage him in any situation, and she firmly believed that he was much better than Uesugi Muneyuki!

Kashiwagi Jin left, and Kashiwagi Misa was left alone at home again. This scene had been especially frequent over the past year.

The previous generation's Face of the Metropolitan Police Department sat there for a long, long time, not knowing what to say. Her husband's state had been going on for more than a year.

It was all because of that Uesugi Muneyuki! It was all him!

Kashiwagi Misa gritted her teeth. She thought for a while and felt that the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it, and perhaps only Uesugi Muneyuki could calm this storm her husband had stirred up!

I must meet him alone to talk! Perhaps he can help my dear!

The previous generation's Face of the Metropolitan Police Department made up her mind. She thought for a moment, tidied herself up, and went out.

(End of chapter)