Chapter 314: Winning, Winning, Winning, and Losing Everything

PS: I fell asleep while typing yesterday, so there was only one update. Sorry about that. It's a long season, and I'm truly tired. In fact, the Son of Heaven has been battling a groin injury all along—traveling off-peak, playing with iron-blooded determination for two points!

Just as Eirina's intuition and Uesugi Muneyuki's judgment suggested, Kashiwagi Misa's actual impression within the Metropolitan Police Department is that of a famous ice-cold beauty, relatively aloof. However, she is different from the young lady Minami; Minami has both parents and they dote on her greatly, serving as a solid pillar for her soul and the greatest leverage she has to privately act spoiled, throw tantrums, tease Ikeda, and manipulate Asuka.

But Kashiwagi Misa has no such leverage. Her family has been single-parent for two consecutive generations; her grandfather disappeared, her father disappeared, and she was raised entirely by her grandmother and mother through hard work. This makes Kashiwagi Misa, despite her great beauty, lack self-confidence. She is always anxious and feels a sense of crisis about the future. This ice-cold beauty wife is a woman who desperately needs a sense of security, just like Asuka.

Out of safety concerns, she took the exam for the Metropolitan Police Department to serve as an office worker, securing an iron rice bowl. Although the pay isn't much, it has the advantage of stability (otherwise, with her looks, she could easily make a million a month as a hostess). Out of safety concerns, when Division Chief Mikasa introduced Kashiwagi Jin of the Todai Kinbyo-gumi to her, she agreed quite easily.

What could bring more security than having a husband from the Todai Kinbyo-gumi?

However, the events of the past few days have completely shattered Kashiwagi Misa's psychological defenses and torn apart the seemingly safe illusion of this ice-cold beauty wife. Every time she closes her eyes, she can recall the humiliation she suffered that night at Ginza Hanacho, the wolf-like gazes of that father and son, and the verbal insults of, "Madam, you were born to do this."

As a wife, she understands Kashiwagi Jin. Telling him now that Uesugi Muneyuki secretly helped him out would not make him grateful or aware of his own problems; instead, it would only provoke him into a frenzy.

Kashiwagi Jin is not a bad person, but he is not someone who knows how to say thank you or appreciate others.

Isn't this just your duty as a member of the Metropolitan Police Department?

A profound panic, accompanied by her maddening hunger for security, quickly returned her to the side of the former Face of the Metropolitan Police Department. As Kashiwagi Jin closed the door and left, Kashiwagi Misa sat alone on the sofa, weeping silently and wiping away her tears in sorrow. That phrase, "What do you know?", made her feel as if something inside her had shattered. She knew that from now on, it would be difficult for her to obtain a full sense of security from her husband as she once did.

After crying for a while, Kashiwagi Misa still had to do the housework. Although she had endured shame and humiliation to kneel and serve drinks, and although her husband had no idea of her sacrifice and contribution, Kashiwagi Misa never thought of divorce, because that would bring even greater turmoil—turmoil in life, turmoil in her career, and turmoil in interpersonal relationships. These were the things this woman tried her best to avoid and feared the most.

Pulling herself together, the former Face of the Metropolitan Police Department rose from the sofa and, while vacuuming the floor, accidentally discovered a card that had fallen on the ground.

"Mutsuki Hualou?" Kashiwagi Misa picked up the membership card, looked at it with confusion for a few moments, and didn't understand what it was at first. But after looking at it carefully, she suddenly associated it with a few things.

In fact, for the past half year, Kashiwagi Misa had noticed her husband's cold attitude, the scent of OHANAMAHAALO floral-fruity perfume—which she didn't use—on him when he came home, and his lack of stamina during intimacy. But she had never thought in other directions, always believing it was due to the setback he suffered with Uesugi Muneyuki and the fact that work in Investigation Division 1 was indeed very busy.

Kashiwagi Jin was not originally very lecherous, and Kashiwagi Misa was a woman who pursued stability and security, so even if she had noticed something, she instinctively or intentionally did not think in that direction.

But now...

The former Face of the Metropolitan Police Department held the card, and a profound sense of despair, like the glacial ocean gradually swallowing the Titanic, submerged her entire body into the freezing sea surface, unable to breathe, with nowhere to escape.

……………………

"Oh? This kid Kashiwagi Jin, he's really made quite a name for himself."

The second year of the Uesugi Era, mid-December, at a Victoria British-style themed cafe in Chiyoda Ward, Uesugi Muneyuki and Ishihara Mikoto were waiting for someone.

Uesugi Muneyuki held a newspaper and smiled at the Forensic Beauty Ishihara Mikoto beside him: "Take a look."

After helping Kashiwagi Jin settle the matter, Uesugi Muneyuki and Kashiwagi Misa both tacitly agreed not to tell Kashiwagi Jin what had specifically happened. As for an extremely private, high-end membership club like Ginza Hanacho, as long as the attendees on-site didn't take the initiative to reveal it, news from inside would absolutely not leak out at all.

Consequently, Kashiwagi Jin was now a big deal, famous and scoring big. After his act of going to Fujitsu to question their top executives on the spot was reported and reprinted by the media, he became a "great hero who pleaded for the people." In particular, *Weekly Bunshun*, *Weekly Gendai*, and *Friday* played up the incident, crafting a hero story of an "Inspector fighting the chaebols." In this story, Kashiwagi Jin pleaded for the people, was upright and unyielding, brave and fearless. For the sake of a case that had undergone a second forensic examination two and a half years ago, he bravely confronted Fujitsu, one of the world's top 500 companies, and successfully forced Fujitsu to submit, living up to the name of a Star Inspector!

After that night, the Odagiri father and son publicly issued an apology letter, admitting they bore "irrefutable moral responsibility for the suicide of Kazama Yumi," and produced 10 million yen in civil compensation. For the sake of the money, they successfully obtained a letter of forgiveness from the family. Kazama Yumi's family accepted the money from the Odagiri father and son to help her younger brother prepare for his wedding, and both sides reached a settlement.

This was all thanks to the unremitting persistence of Inspector Kashiwagi!

As for the internal punishment from the Metropolitan Police Department, it was considered by major media to be "a light tap for a heavy offense," a protective punishment by the department intended to let the slightly overzealous Kashiwagi Jin land safely without being held accountable later. Kashiwagi Jin must have already caught the eye of the big leaders and is part of the Todai Kinbyo-gumi; his future is simply limitless!

Kashiwagi Jin also felt good about himself. On the day he accepted the Metropolitan Police Department's punishment, he gave a media interview, stating that he understood and respected the department's decision, but did not regret his actions. The Star Inspector enjoyed the flowers, praise, and applause, flashed a "V" sign at the camera, shouted "Justice will prevail," and then began his period of calm self-reflection.

Winning!

The whole operation had him feeling great, yet Uesugi Muneyuki only wanted to laugh when he saw it. In his mind, he would occasionally see the image from that night at Ginza Hanacho: Madam Kashiwagi kneeling in shame and humiliation to serve drinks, looking frightened and helpless as she hid behind him.

Actually, according to Uesugi Muneyuki's evaluation criteria, the looks of the former Face of the Metropolitan Police Department were only at the 90-91 point level, not as stunning as Shira, Minami, or Mikoto, who were peerless beauties. However, the unique virtuous and dignified wifely charm and the sorrowful, helpless, and tragic beauty she possessed were indeed very unique.

Lord Mengde, at this moment, we understand each other.

This was hard on Ishihara Mikoto. After all, his Sister Mikoto was the only wife (former) among his women. Although the charm was different and the difference in temperament was not small—Sister Mikoto's height was only 157cm while Kashiwagi Misa was 167cm—the next day, Uesugi Muneyuki didn't let Sister Mikoto's pair of silk-clad feet touch the ground for a full half hour.

"Yeah, recently Kashiwagi from Division 1 has overshadowed you," Ishihara Mikoto said with a charming smile, with a hint of teasing and fox-like allure: "It seems there's a saying lately, from those fangirls in the Public Relations Division and office staff—the Three Heroes of the Police World: Tamaru, Watanabe, Onoda; the Two Walls of the Metropolitan Police Department: Uesugi, Sugishita; the Four Heavenly Kings of Investigation Division 1: Kousaka, Shiratori, Kashiwagi, Itami; and the Seven Spears of the Criminal Investigation Department, the Twelve Generals of the Public Security Police..."

Ishihara Mikoto was laughing so hard she almost fell over: "Should we in the Forensics Division also form the Four Heavenly Kings of Dissection? Forward Nakadō, backward Kamioka, the Bear of Forensics Higashiyama Takeshi, and the workhorse Ishihara."

"Japanese people are just so chuunibyou," Uesugi Muneyuki complained helplessly.

"However, I don't really like that Kashiwagi person," Ishihara Mikoto also complained: "Although we are colleagues, he gives me a feeling... how should I put it? I think it can be described as 'distant fragrance, near stench'? That is, if you don't have contact, Kashiwagi is actually a big star shrouded in light, full of justice, handsome, highly educated, enthusiastic, and focused—it's hard not to feel yearning and affection. But after really working with him, I think it's really... he never considers the difficulties of our Forensics Division, his attitude is arrogant and overbearing, a performative personality."

"Some limelight should be taken, some limelight can be taken, and some limelight cannot be taken..." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded with a smile, then asked with some curiosity: "And me?"

"You, well, Kashiwagi Jin is the complete opposite. You are 'distant stench, near fragrance.' Your attitude is tough, you speak bluntly, you are stubborn, and you are gluttonous and lecherous—a perverted silk-stocking, leg, and foot fetishist." Ishihara Mikoto looked at him intently and said softly: "But in reality, only after contact do you know that you are talented, know when to advance and retreat, insist on what should be insisted upon, adapt when you should adapt, and can take very good care of those around you. Minami relied on you to rise steadily, Ikeda changed from a police superior-killer to a Judo beauty detective, Asuka—I can tell she has already regarded you as her only one, and me... my second half of life also depends on you, brother."

"It seems I must work even harder." Uesugi Muneyuki was clearly very satisfied with Ishihara Mikoto's answer.

"Giggle, after all, the entire 23 wards, 26 cities, 5 towns, and 8 villages of Tokyo are carried on your shoulders alone. The words 'the common people of the world' depend on our Forensic Examiner Uesugi," Ishihara Mikoto blinked her fox-like eyes, full of charm: "Sister will be responsible for being your assistant~"

Uesugi Muneyuki looked again at the front-page headline of Kashiwagi Jin's arrogant "V" and "Justice will prevail," and shook his head repeatedly.

You look like you're winning, winning, winning, but in reality, you're losing everything. You don't even know your wife was almost double-teamed by others... Oh, if I had been on the Odagiri side that day, Kashiwagi Misa wouldn't even know what she would have been turned into by the end.

And although the Metropolitan Police Department has an unusual tolerance for Kashiwagi, it can't withstand him tossing things around like this.

The Kinbyo-gumi already have quite a few opinions about this little brother from Todai. It is nothing more than the protection of his father-in-law, the most powerful and influential Superintendent General in history, Watanabe Eiji, and the need to consider the overall interests of the Kinbyo-gumi that saved him again. Kashiwagi Jin is completely unaware, and of course, no one is going to be bored enough to remind him.

And I never take that kind of limelight that has no benefits. I only insist on what I should insist on, and I only do what I should do. I am just a forensic pathologist; stating clearly what needs to be said is enough.

It looks like I did nothing in this matter, but in fact, I have been winning all along.

I protected Sister Mikoto, promoted Minami, and even established a connection with Fujitsu.

"Ding-a-ling~" Just then, the sound of the wind chime at the cafe entrance rang, and a man and a woman walked in quickly.

Uesugi Muneyuki greeted them, his eyes radiating a confident and bright light.

This was also the last bit of entanglement between him and the Medical and Dental University.

That is, the case of Professor Zaizen; he was going to testify in court in person.

And Uesugi Muneyuki's testimony in court will very likely determine the final verdict of this medical malpractice case that has attracted the attention of all of Japan.

After all, he hasn't lost yet.

This is the real winning, winning, winning.

(End of chapter)