Chapter 393

After finishing with Tokyo University matters, Uesugi Muneyuki noticed Ishihara Mikoto was somewhat silent, so he brought her to a slightly upscale izakaya near the school, pulled her to sit in a semi-enclosed booth, said nothing, and just smiled while looking at her.

Mikoto was sullen, the forensic beauty lowered her head and sipped tea in small mouthfuls, occasionally stealing a glance at Uesugi Muneyuki.

"You've worked hard today, Mikoto-nee." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, then forced himself to speak with a smile: "Mikoto-nee, your professional ability has always been top-notch; even I have nothing to say about it—you handle things, I'm at ease~"

"Yes, as long as I can complete the tasks you assign, that's fine." Mikoto squeezed out a very reluctant smile, her voice very soft.

Uesugi Muneyuki sensed the abnormality, put down his teacup, and looked at her: "What's wrong? You seem lacking in spirit—is it because I've been away too long, or is it that Prosecutor Kusaka isn't very polite?"

"Muneyuki, why is it that in those people's eyes, my professional ability is forever not worthy of being seen? I've also handled quite a few cases with you, and I've appeared in the Sakuradamon hearing, but that prosecutor looks at me as if I were a waiter who wandered into the meeting room by mistake."

Ishihara Mikoto said very dejectedly and unwillingly: "He questioned my experience, questioned my ability to understand reports, even hinted that it was because I am a 'little girl'! I'm already 32 years old! Most of your autopsy appraisal reports are written by me!"

"Hmph~" Uesugi Muneyuki snorted through his nose: "These so-called judicial elites seem to still cling to outdated prejudices in their understanding of 'professional'."

After saying that, Uesugi Muneyuki earnestly told the forensic beauty: "Mikoto-nee, remember this: I know your ability better than anyone else; your meticulousness and responsibility are what I rely on most. As for the title 'Designated Assistant,' it is not the entirety of your worth, but it is a starting point—a point for the outside world to recognize you, like Kusaka... people like him... their vision only extends to the most dazzling labels. But here with me, you are my Mikoto-nee, the one who can lay out all organs of a full corpse dissection clearly and neatly, draw a perfect Y-character incision line, find perfect, unique reasons for each of my deductions, and be my irreplaceable assistant."

Uesugi Muneyuki's words pleased Mikoto, yet she remained somewhat dissatisfied because he had evaded the main contradiction; the woman's sharp fingers dug hard into the man's hand back, gesturing not to change the subject!

"Stop with these grand principles, you aristocratic types spout one set of grand principles after another, but grand principles sometimes don't work—I want your attitude, how exactly do you view me?" The forensic beauty rudely interrupted Uesugi Muneyuki's speech: "You won't be comforting me with your mouth while secretly feeling pleased about binding me to you, pleased that your appearance makes that elite prosecutor switch from arrogance to obsequiousness, will you?"

"Speak some genuine heartfelt words, Muneyuki—what exactly are you thinking?"

Faced with the forensic beauty's questioning, Uesugi Muneyuki felt slightly embarrassed.

He habitually applied the tactics he used against Eirina onto Mikoto-nee, but Eirina and Mikoto's directions of persistence are actually different.

"This society, especially in medicine and law, is sometimes filled with arrogance and prejudice. Changing their views takes time and also requires strength. Every excellent piece of work you do now is accumulating this strength. And I will always provide you with a stage to prove yourself."

"But if Mikoto-nee insists on saying this, I'll have to say some rather inappropriate heartfelt words: Mikoto-nee, I can tell you, I also came up from being a forensic assistant—back then, due to some matters, I transferred from the First Surgery Department to the Forensic Pathology Department, didn't I also start as an assistant under Professor Ouchi? Didn't Tanaka Laodeng and Kuwabara Mako also dislike my opinions back then? Arguing with me, finding me meddlesome? What, I get to suffer injustice because I'm a man, but you can't suffer injustice?"

"I arranged for you to enter the Metropolitan Police Department, first brought you to the Medical and Dental University, then brought you to Tokyo University, leading you from a small clinic doctor all the way to becoming an assistant at Tokyo University's clinical medicine—how can you say I don't respect your female position? Now you come to me demanding respect? Mikoto-nee, everyone comes up from being an assistant, everyone also comes up from not being trusted on this side, there are no exceptions—I won't treat you differently just because you're male or female, but you also shouldn't set yourself apart just because you're male or female." Uesugi Muneyuki spoke warmly: "We are forensic scientists; all we need to do is make things clear—that's enough. When you overly concern yourself with your gender stance, have you realized you're also trapped in this gender cage?"

"I..." Ishihara Mikoto suddenly understood.

Right, I clearly just wanted to be a pure forensic scientist—how did that prosecutor lead me around in circles, making me circle myself in?

"Hah, this kind of top-tier judicial elite posture—Mikoto-nee still needs to learn one." Uesugi Muneyuki smiled, reached across the table, and lightly patted the back of Mikoto's hand resting on it.

Such top-tier bureaucratic elite identity politics tactics are actually commonplace—for example, the U. S. President Obama Niu is best at using this: anyone opposing my policies is just racist.

This latter part even spread into films—a typical example is, Snow White is Black, if you don't like it, it's racism; The Little Mermaid is also Black, if you oppose it, it's racism; even when the actor playing Captain America changed from Evans to the so-called Falcon, when everyone questioned why this so-called Falcon could inherit Captain America and wanted sufficient reasons, Marvel's response was: You don't like this term's Captain America?

You are racist.

Prosecutor Kusaka is guiding Ishihara Mikoto to think this way—if a conflict erupts between the two sides, he just needs to pull this, and in postmodern Japanese society he'll directly occupy an invincible position—know that current society most hates and rejects gender narratives, uniformly regarding such little essays as stirring up trouble.

Uesugi Muneyuki was already completely immune to such tactics before his time travel, but Mikoto-nee has never seen this method.

Hmm? Marvel? Disney?

After being thoroughly enlightened by Uesugi Muneyuki, Ishihara Mikoto's eyes shimmered with watery light, like being injected with a strong heart tonic, or like a long-blocked waterway finally dredged, the melancholy in her heart completely untangled, and she even looked at her little man with seductive, silk-like eyes, her slightly thick lips lightly pursed.

He's really amazing, so reliable!

I, I again want my younger brother to dredge my waterway—damn, at least a few days without... I'll probably feel like...

"Oh right, earlier we talked about the Disney trip—Mikoto-nee, you should join too!" Uesugi Muneyuki snapped his fingers, smiling: "After all, you're Asuka's mom!"

"Eh?!" Ishihara Mikoto froze.

How did we just get onto the Disney trip?

And hearing his attitude, it's not just one person going together?

……………………

"What, going to Disney? Great!!!"

That day, after returning to the Uesugi residence at Sakata Bridge, Uesugi Muneyuki brought good news—Asuka, upon hearing it, bounced up on the sofa, excitedly raising both hands: "Great, I want to go to Disney, I want to go to Disney!"

"Count me in, I want to go too!" Minami Ojou-sama was even more excited, she tightly embraced Saito Asuka: "Go go go, we're all going! Eirina, you come too!"

"I... I'm not opposed, but will it not be good in some way?" Eirina hesitated; she personally isn't very interested in Disney, but since everyone wants to go, she naturally wants to go too.

"What's the problem? Not afraid of the people knowing, but afraid of the people not knowing! Especially after the Uesugi Sakuradamon hearing, now is exactly the time to need an opportunity to show the entire people our Metropolitan Police Department's unbreakable alliance teeth!"

Minami Ojou-sama, hands on hips, proudly arranged work: "Uesugi, you contact your connections, get members of Club 33! We want the fast track, no queuing!"

"Eirina, you go prepare the itinerary!"

"Ms. Ishihara, you assign some work, synchronize the timing!"

"Asuka, hurry up and do your homework! We can play all day!"

"As for me, I'll just properly plan how to enjoy Disney!"

Minami Ojou-sama, with the aura of a noble's main wife, arranged tasks one by one.

Everyone responded accordingly, until an discordant voice appeared in the Sakata Bridge area.

"Ono~ what about me?" Mai Xuejie smiled, came from behind, wrapped her arms around Minami Ojou-sama's slender waist, and whispered in her ear: "What am I responsible for?"

This startled Minami Ojou-sama.

"Hikawa~! Guard the carriage! Quickly guard the carriage!!!"