Chapter 381

"Found it."

That night, Special Investigation Headquarters, inside the Special Investigation Unit.

Unit Chief Inspector Okagaki looked at a document and said rather speechlessly: "Berkeley Jin's guess was correct—the owner of this Ebisu high-end fitness club is none other than Suo Masao himself."

"Suo Masao established a private investment company named Mogami River Health Investment Stock Company, whose business scope includes asset management, real estate investment, or leisure industry operations."

"Subsequently, Mogami River Health Investment Company acquired 75% of the shares of this Ebisu fitness club, gaining control of the club; after the acquisition, the club became an asset of the company."

"The assemblyman himself does not hold all shares of the investment company, nor does he serve as a company director or hold public office, to avoid direct exposure. Daily operations can be entrusted to professional managers, but the assemblyman indirectly influences club affairs through shareholder rights (such as voting on decisions)."

"Through this method, Suo Masao actually controls this Ebisu fitness club—no wonder he never shouted about destroying this club from beginning to end." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, thinking: "Good, then we've solved the first problem—namely, who is behind this club? Well, that makes sense; one's own children would certainly go to one's own club."

"This is quite normal." Miss Watanabe leaned back in her chair, lying face up; even after sitting in the office all day, she still felt tired. Ikeda Erena stood behind her, massaging her shoulders: "Besides, there are also methods through family members holding shares, through investment funds or trusts, through nominees (nominee holders) or offshore companies—since Diet members must declare assets, there are many loopholes."

"Yeah, there are many loopholes!" Kai Toru nodded in agreement, lazily saying: "So, what should we do next?"

Inside the room, the gazes of all Special Investigation Unit members were focused on the hidden camera Uesugi Muneyuki had placed on the desk.

"Who among you understands technology? Who understands electronics?" Uesugi Muneyuki directed his gaze toward everyone present.

Ikeda Erena, Ishihara Mikoto, Okada, Kai Toru, and Igarashi all quickly shook their heads.

Hironaka Mariko, Miyahara Toru, and Arimura Hana also shook their heads, and a gloomy wind stirred within the room.

Hmm?

Uesugi Muneyuki noticed someone had not shaken their head.

The legitimate son of the Uwajima Date family, Date Nagamune.

This guy had always been quiet and, coming from a Self-Defense Forces background, felt somewhat inferior; his hobbies were completely out of sync with everyone else, so his presence in the Special Investigation Unit was only slightly higher than Igarashi's—but Uesugi Muneyuki never expected this guy to actually understand technology: "Date?"

"Um, Watanabe-san, Uesugi-san—if I say something, can you promise me?" Date Nagamune said cautiously.

"That depends on whether you can help Uesugi Muneyuki—hurry up and speak!" Miss Watanabe perked up at this moment, clapping her hands, signaling: "Come on, give me the honest answer! Superintendent Taira no Ason, Sakuradamon Guardian Yukimatsumaru, Lady Muneyuki of Uesugi, Miss Watanabe is here!"

"Speak, Date—I'll tell you a truth." Uesugi Muneyuki said with a somewhat playful tone: "For us police, solving cases is the hard truth; other things can be delayed a bit—but you must first say why you understand this kind of covert photography electronics."

"Speak, Date—we who work in technology are all simple, born to serve the nation loyally." Ishihara Mikoto also said with a smile.

"Well—"

Date Nagamune simply explained why he understood electronic surveillance and covert photography technology: he liked Moriya Akane and Sakura too much!

Life in the Self-Defense Forces is extremely boring and monotonous (though compared to real soldiers, it's already much better), with vast amounts of training and dull repetition driving him to seek spiritual solace—thus he began tinkering with the portable viewing device: "The principle of this device is to simulate an antenna." Date Nagamune spoke softly, fiddling with the camera in his hand: "If you say it too complicated, you won't understand—simply put, it directly modulates image and sound information onto continuous radio waves of a specific frequency. The receiving end directly demodulates this radio frequency signal to restore the analog video signal, without needing complex decoding. Its signal essence is a continuous waveform."

"The principle of this covert camera is to modulate a high-frequency carrier, transmitting the image to the other end's display."

"To be honest, this simulated antenna device isn't very secure—if it's in the 2.4GHz band, it will be extremely crowded; if it's in the 1.2GHz band, you must use an antenna, a big antenna!"

"Did you understand?" Date Nagamune earnestly gestured: "And so but?"

Everyone, including Ikeda Erena, nodded repeatedly, indicating they understood.

"Then how should we locate the signal transmission point of this covert camera?" Uesugi Muneyuki pinched his chin, he somewhat understood why Mai Xuejie had deliberately had the familiar disguise itself as that female trainer.

It seemed Mai Xuejie had again concealed something from him.

"Could I get a signature from Sakura? To sign." Date Nagamune asked: "I also want Shirakawa Mai's."

"Huh?" Uesugi Muneyuki blinked in surprise.

"I said, could I get a small—————""Smack!"

Ikeda Erena delivered a knife-hand strike to Date Nagamune's forehead; the former Self-Defense Officer cried out in pain, rolling twice on the ground: "Stop! Stop! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Just need to turn on the camera at the scene, use the signal scanner via hot&cold method—meaning repeated sensing and probing—to find the direction and position where signal strength increases again; signal strength peaks as you approach the image receiver's location—this simulated antenna signal is very weak, even with a repeater, at most two or three hundred meters!"

"Good, Date—you—you did well, as thanks for your contribution, I'll spare your nine clans~" Miss Watanabe beamed, nodding: "As for to sign, go ask Muneyuki for it—he'll give you one."

"Management Official!" Igarashi could no longer wait: "Let's go!"

"Good! Igarashi, you and Kai Toru will take the lead!" Miss Watanabe nodded: "As for the scanner—

"We don't have it here, but the Metropolitan Police Department does—we need to apply to borrow it." Okada Masayoshi said: "I'll go—I'll go with Date, I'll handle negotiations, Date can recognize it."

"Good, Okada brother, timely rain." Miss Watanabe waved her hand grandly: "Then, let's begin the operation!"

"Hi!"

Thus, Igarashi and Kai Toru returned to the fitness center to carefully search for the antenna and cable locations, while Okada Masayoshi brought Date Nagamune back to the Metropolitan Police Department to borrow equipment; the room now only contained Ishihara Mikoto, Ikeda Erena, and Watanabe Minami.

"Muneyuki, do you think we need to request help from other police forces?" Miss Watanabe had been bold earlier, but now she was cautious and meticulous, having sensed something off behind this: "Should we call Kousaka and Itami?"

"No—" Uesugi Muneyuki sharply shook his head: "This kind of thing, the fewer people who know, the better. I think Berkeley perhaps told us this because he believed I and he were of one mind as righteous enforcers; that guy—hasn't he repeatedly proven he cares about matters, not people?"

"Erena, this time, you don't need to come with me—you take care of protecting Mikoto and Minami." Uesugi Muneyuki's gaze turned toward the gradually deepening night sky, speaking softly: "What comes next, the fewer people who know, the better."

After a while, the group returned—Kai Toru and Igarashi had found the antenna transmitter on the fitness center's balcony, while Okada had brought back the scanner borrowed from the Metropolitan Police Department with Date Nagamune.

"Special Investigation Unit, deploy!!!"

Late at night, Uesugi Muneyuki and Beruwood Jin returned to the fitness center again; following Date Nagamune's description, Shin'i Kyō they opened the camera, Date adjusted the antenna, while Uesugi Muneyuki and Berkeley Jin, through repeated hot-cold operations, moved through the alleys.

Two suited handsome men walked between the night-lit building corridors, Berkeley Jin looking disdainfully at Uesugi Muneyuki's scanner: "Is this thing actually useful?"

"Better than relying on intuition." Uesugi Muneyuki carefully adjusted the scanner, step by step, like claws and teeth, like demonic steps: "Although I didn't fully grasp Date's explanation, he said the simulated antenna's coverage is small—just two or three hundred meters—plus the direction is roughly fixed, so we should be able to roughly locate an area; and the area receiving the yoga room's covert signal is right here—moreover, this device was approved by your wife, you know!"

"Eh—is that so?" Berkeley Jin's expression turned odd upon hearing this—Meisa?

Right, this Uesugi guy mentioned Meisa twice today—first when Kai Toru spoke in the morning, and now again.

You guy, always bringing up my wife—what for?

Berkeley Jin couldn't help but laugh inwardly, thinking Meisa still has deep feelings for me and cares about me, you brat—so arrogant, so showy, always relying on connections—Meisa would never like someone like you.

Thinking this, Berkeley Jin suddenly felt he could ask this Sakuradamon Ooku harem man of Uesugi for advice: "Come to think of it, Uesugi, can you teach me?"

"Ah?!" Uesugi Muneyuki startled, lowering his scanner.

"Just—supposing, I'm only supposing, supposing you've already married Watanabe Management Official, but—but outside there's another concubine, like that—like Asuka, what would you do?" Berkeley Jin asked somewhat embarrassed, lowering his voice: "That is, how can you placate the concubine without the main chamber knowing? Assuming you still meet regularly."

"How would I know?" Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but retort: "I live with Erena, Asuka, and Minami!"

Berkeley Jin felt struck, the Metropolitan Police Department's Star Inspector deeply struck, he closed his mouth,

Said nothing.

"Wait—could it be that you're still seeing that female student from the University of Tokyo?" Uesugi Muneyuki reacted quickly, opening his mouth wide.

Kashiwagi Jin's face turned the color of pig's liver, yet he remained silent.

The two fell into silence, Kashiwagi Jin turned his head, Uesugi Muneyuki's expression was strange, not knowing whether to advise Kashiwagi Jin to break up or to advise Kashiwagi Misa to break up.

Well, it seems neither option is correct.

"What are you two doing?" At that moment, a person appeared behind them.

Uesugi Muneyuki and Kashiwagi Jin were startled, turning their heads to look.

It was the Chief of Criminal Investigation Division One, Sugishita Ukyo,

"If you're testing the reception point of the camera, then you've already arrived, right in front of us." Sugishita Ukyo, this little old man, pursed his lips, a calm and natural smile on his face.

The three exited the corridor, Kashiwagi Jin's face heavy, Uesugi Muneyuki put away the scanner with a clear expression, Sugishita Ukyo maintained a stern expression with a fleeting trace of detachment.

Because what appeared before them was the Burning Bar!

The receiving device for the hidden camera's footage is inside this very bar!

Now everything's connected!

Uesugi Muneyuki and Kashiwagi Jin exchanged a glance, wondering why the Division Chief was here, when Sugishita Ukyo gave a gentle push, gesturing for us to move: "We don't have time to talk so much, let's go—if you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you get the tiger's cub?"