Chapter 365

The next afternoon, the Metropolitan Police Department's Sakurada Gate Headquarters press conference site also served as the hearing for Uesugi Muneyuki.

The venue was packed with people, with over 4,000 onlookers gathering even outside Sakurada Gate, closely awaiting the start of the hearing.

Over two hundred media outlets were present on site, with Fuji Television securing exclusive live broadcast rights; staff arrived early, and as many as three news vans were on site setting up camera positions.

Fuji TV President was ready!

On this important day, Uesugi Muneyuki also changed into a sharp Armani black three-piece suit; he saw Fuji TV's FNS Production Bureau Director Abiru and greeted him.

Fuji TV's exclusive live broadcast certainly involves risk, there is no doubt about that, but while Fuji TV President wholeheartedly believes in Uesugi Muneyuki, Fuji TV also has a problem—they do not believe Uesugi Muneyuki is innocent, because Uesugi Muneyuki's interests are already deeply intertwined with Fuji TV's; attempting a righteous split now would not only cause Fuji TV to face astronomical losses but also make it a laughingstock in the industry.

Therefore, for emotional, rational, and interest-based reasons, Fuji TV must and can only stand with Uesugi Muneyuki.

And when Weekly Bunshun reporter Takahashi Katsuto arrived at the scene, he keenly noticed that the situation on site was somewhat off.

Senior officials from the Metropolitan Police Department were all present, from Deputy Superintendent Ooyama Ren to Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura Kanji to Chief Inspector Okochi Haruki.

Prosecutor General Nishikawa of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office came, along with Uesugi Muneyuki's old acquaintance Prosecutor Kamibayashi.

In addition, the Tokyo District Court dispatched a representative, Judge Tokoro.

Also present were representatives from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Nippon Life Insurance, Nippon Child Consultation Center, Nippon Family Court, third-party labor dispatch companies, and the affiliated junior high school of Tsukuba University, and so on and so forth.

Suited men sat packed in a large area.

Besides, two very special people also came to the scene: they were Attorney Kunpei of Nishimura Asahi Office, and the top national actress and Head of the Kantou Shrine Alliance, Shirakawa Mai, from the Soul Agency!

Why did Shirakawa Mai also come?

Well, good, the Weekly Bunshun reporter smelled a whiff of blood.

Might as well drag you down with me!

Weekly Bunshun secretly rejoiced.

Don't panic, the advantage is mine!

At the same time, while preparations were underway on site, in Bunkyo Ward, Uesugi Hall, the Yonezawa Uesugi main house.

Head of the Uesugi Family Uesugi Kuninori, Uesugi Muneyuki's parents Uesugi Hironori and Uesugi Tomoko, as well as Uesugi Muneyuki's older brother Uesugi Sadanori and his wife sat in front of the television, staring intently at the screen.

Uesugi Hironori flew into a rage and shouted: "I said it early on! I said it, didn't I? Keeping that disaster near Snow Pine is just a time bomb! Now it's been discovered, huh? Huh??? You still say I have problems? Who exactly has problems? I did it for his own good!"

"Damn it, what stubborn, artsy-fartsy bad habit did Snow Pine Maru learn from whom? Why does he keep pulling this nonsense all day? Isn't he falling into a self-incrimination trap? And why make such a big fuss? Whenever Weekly Bunshun dares to fire off a cannon, they usually have a sure win—this cannon can even force the Prime Minister to apologize and make the Defense Minister resign voluntarily!"

Uesugi Hironori wore an expression of "I knew it all along," "I told him but he wouldn't listen," filled with heartfelt anguish.

Uesugi Sadanori, on the other hand, showed no reaction; frankly, he did not believe his younger brother Uesugi Muneyuki was that kind of person, but out of family upbringing and Japanese tradition, he found it hard to contradict his father.

But someone did contradict.

"Shut up, who said Snow Pine Maru was doing shady things? Talking nonsense?" Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori glared at his son: "Get out, you're blocking my view of the TV."

"……Yes." Uesugi Hironori resignedly, while looking at his father's eyes, suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

Oh no, I spoke out of turn!

The bad habit of literary types like Chitokumaru and Snow Pine Maru—could it not have come from this old fogey?

This guy Uesugi Kuninori also has a literary bad habit in his bones—aloof and stubborn; when he was young, while his classmates were preparing for the national civil service exams, Uesugi Kuninori was still a hot-blooded youth joining other University of Tokyo students in the All-Campus Joint Struggle; back then it was intense, and he even had close interactions with the Japanese police, a six-stick clash per second against samurai kendo, a true police-people harmony like fish in water.

This is also why Uesugi Kuninori, despite holding an extremely high position at the University of Tokyo for a lifetime as a professor, never became a Faculty Dean in his entire life.

Uesugi Hironori is not particularly talented and failed to get into the University of Tokyo, barely making it into Keio University; in his early years, he had opinions about his father, he disliked his father's personality, so he himself became oily, worldly-wise, and adept at adapting—intentionally doing the opposite of his father—until middle age, when he finally understood: others treating him kindly and showing a pleasant countenance is not due to his social skills or worldly adaptability, but because they look upon the fact that his father is a University of Tokyo professor who has filled the world with peach and plum trees, whose bloodline combines shogun, feudal lord, public official, Restoration, and peerage lineages.

At the same time, Watanabe Eiji and his wife Watanabe Michiko also stared intently at the television; Watanabe Michiko looked tense, while Watanabe Eiji had a deep mind and rarely spoke, but from her husband's expression, Watanabe Michiko sensed something, and her expression steadied slightly.

Thus, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of eyes from Kantou were locked onto Fuji TV, preparing to see, after a series of extremely unfavorable evidences against Uesugi Muneyuki were exposed and it was irrefutably proven that he cohabited with a minor, how he would explain himself.

On the television screen, everyone took their seats in turn.

The number of people at the hearing site was so great that even the corridors and passageways were filled with seated people; Uesugi Muneyuki's side occupied two rows, reporters represented by Weekly Bunshun took two rows, and neutral parties such as the District Public Prosecutors Office, the court, child consultation centers, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, etc., took three rows.

Amid hundreds of long and short guns, countless cameras and microphones, the entire nation of Japan, from December last year to now, exactly three weeks straight, with daily front-page headlines on Uesugi Muneyuki, began his statement.

"Ladies and gentlemen present, people from all walks of Japanese society, welcome, welcome to those willing to give me a chance to explain, welcome to those participating in the hearing hosted by the Metropolitan Police Department." Uesugi Muneyuki in a black Armani suit, cold and handsome, noble aura fully displayed: "Before this hearing, I must solemnly emphasize several points to everyone."

"First, who exactly is the so-called underage girl A? What is her relationship with me? Why did I keep her by my side and go to great lengths to arrange people to adopt her?"

"Without understanding this premise, external speculation and unwarranted criticism of me have already severely harmed me, the involved party, and even the feelings of the involved party's sole former guardian; I once, out of protective intent, did not want the outside world to know these things, which undoubtedly would cause secondary harm to the involved party, but since Weekly Bunshun has come this far, I have no choice but to unveil the matter."

Having said that, Uesugi Muneyuki gestured for the Metropolitan Police Department side to speak.

Thus, in the on-site data visualization system, the "Tokyo Medical and Dental University Night Shift Assault Case" sealed by the Metropolitan Police Department was officially disclosed to the public!

Chief Prosecutor Okochi Haruki of the Metropolitan Police Department recounted in full how Saijo Yasue possessed and attacked Uesugi Muneyuki at that time.

Uesugi Muneyuki's autopsy revealed a shocked male; after the male regained consciousness, his awareness was disordered and he indiscriminately attacked; Uesugi Muneyuki, who was on duty at the Medical and Dental University, and another security guard were attacked; the security guard was killed, Uesugi Muneyuki barely survived with his life, and added surveillance records as evidence.

The entire event's twists and turns and the bloody scene never before disclosed to the outside shocked over two hundred media outlets on site, including various departments and courts and prosecutors' offices unaware of the internal details, all of whom gaped open-mouthed.

So, corpse examination is this dangerous?!

"Besides, in this case there is yet another victim, namely Saito Nanami, a 20-year-old female university student from Musashino University." Inspector Okochi Haruki coldly told the camera: "Perhaps you have already guessed it, correct, the involved party underage girl A is none other than Saito Nanami's paternal half-sister, and at that time, Saito Nanami and Uesugi Muneyuki were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship."

"Oh oh oh oh????" The venue erupted in a shocked shout.

Did Uesugi Muneyuki previously have a girlfriend?

That is to say, Uesugi Muneyuki was once involved with underage girl A……prospective brother-in-law???

Under countless gazes, Uesugi Muneyuki calmly nodded; his expression showed a hint of sorrow: "Yes, you haven't guessed wrong; the deceased Saito Nanami in that incident is precisely the sister of the underage girl A you mentioned; at that time we were dating, I'm very sorry……she came to the hospital to see me and wait for me to get off work together, however……she ran into the night shift assault incident."

"She……died, forever left me, for this I have always felt guilty, I believe she died because of me."

"So, when I attended her funeral, I discovered that Nanami actually still had a sister; out of guilt and responsibility, I investigated their financial situation, found it not only extremely poor, but also that Nanami had already become her last family member and guardian." Uesugi Muneyuki said solemnly to the camera: "That is, at the funeral, I realized I must do something, otherwise she would be evicted from the housing complex and wander the streets."

Regarding this case, the Metropolitan Police Department has many officers who can testify on this matter, and also has a vast amount of evidence to be released one by one.

The scene was even more shocked.

So, there is still such a past?!

Night shift assault? Two dead, one injured? And because of the victim's family's confidentiality request and the perpetrator already dead, this case could not be prosecuted, so it was directly sealed?

This guy Uesugi Muneyuki, just how many things are still unknown to us?

After a frenzy of discussion on site, the renowned Sankei News reporter proactively asked: "Uesugi-san, regarding this matter, we understand your pain from losing your girlfriend, and we also comprehend that your so-called sense of morality and responsibility drives you to do something, but……couldn't you have chosen a better way? Do you not know that cohabiting with a minor is highly likely to violate the law?"

"I know." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "So, I came today to answer directly."

"May I ask, everyone present, which law have I actually violated?"

After saying that, Uesugi Muneyuki brought over a large box, filled inside with countless trace ledgers, legal declarations, and employment contract traces.

He stood alone with his hands behind his back, facing countless microphones and cameras, his gaze icy, looking down on all under heaven!

"This is the first time, and possibly the last time, I answer such questions and doubts. I have no intention of having to prove myself every time someone questions me. What I have always maintained is that whoever doubts bears the burden of proof, not that whoever doubts me must prove themselves."

"But today I am making an exception to give everyone present an opportunity!"

Uesugi Muneyuki's gaze swept past the scene, straight to Weekly Bunshun, and even to that existence further behind.

Come! Fight!