Chapter 440

The next day, in the office of the Commissioner of the Financial Services Agency, early morning.

The heavy solid wood door shut out the clamor of the outside world. Inside Commissioner Okada Masahide's office, the atmosphere was silent as the deep sea. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling window was the bustling morning scene of Tokyo, sunlight filtering through the blinds, casting clear diagonal lines on the polished redwood desk like a mirror.

Commissioner Okada Masahide sat upright in the wide leather chair, his posture as always straight and dignified. Before him, several mainstream newspapers delivered that morning were neatly spread out. On the front pages, the heroic image of his son, bloodied from saving someone, contrasted starkly with the disheveled, flustered face of his daughter-in-law.

Besides the Nikkei Shimbun, other news media also immediately reported the matter the next day.

The front-page headline of the Asahi Shimbun was relatively restrained but equally sharp: "Commissioner Okada's Wife Returns Home, Loses Composure Under Airport Questioning: 'Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill' Argument Sparks Controversy."

The accompanying photo showed Miki pushing reporters, her expression distorted; the report objectively stated the events, but between the lines brimmed with doubt: Why didn't she return home immediately? Was her massive shopping expenditure reasonable? Did she lack basic respect for her husband's spirit of sacrifice?

The headline of Weekly Bunshun was even more vicious, clearly intending to repay the humiliation it had suffered at the hands of the Metropolitan Police Department: "Exclusive Deep Dive! The 'Vampiric Trophy Wife' Behind the Heroic Superintendent: Europe, Lavishly Spending Tens of Millions on Shopping, Returning Home to Call Her Husband's Serious Injury 'Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill'! The Okada Family Enraged!"

The content spared no effort in rendering, detailing a partial list of luxury goods Miki had purchased in Europe and their estimated prices, accompanied by photos of her smiling radiantly in high-end stores, forming a stark contrast with her disheveled state at the airport. It also implied her marriage had long existed in name only, sustained entirely by Okada Masahide's support, and this incident had completely exposed her true nature. The comment section had completely collapsed, flooded with insults and curses directed at Miki.

On social media, hashtags like #Okada Miki Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill#, #Cold-Blooded Hero's Wife#, and #Commissioner Okada Quickly Divorce# instantly surged to the top of the trending list.

Her airport clip was turned into emojis and ghostly videos, spreading wildly.

Public opinion almost presented a united front, pinning her to the pillar of shame as "heartless, unjust, vain, and foolish." Occasional weak voices questioning whether the media was over-surrounding or invading privacy were quickly drowned out by the angry tide.

The Commissioner of the Financial Services Agency read slowly and carefully, his gaze lingering on each headline, each passage describing Miki's "gaffe" and "extravagance." When he saw the deliberately bolded and enlarged quotes like "Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill" and "Isn't her husband not dead yet?", his face, carved like cold hard marble, showed no fluctuation of expression. His eyes were deep and calm, as if he were reading an ordinary financial brief.

Finally, he finished reading all the key reports. The office fell into silence, only the unconscious, extremely slight tapping of his fingertips on the smooth desk surface could be heard, a barely audible "tap... tap..."

A few seconds later, he moved.

He slowly, extremely elegantly extended his hand, using his long fingers to precisely pinch the edge of the front-page photo of Miki in her disheveled state from the Nikkei Shimbun. The motion was steady, without a tremor. Then, he pulled that newspaper out from the stack at a nearly ritualistic slow pace.

He laid the newspaper flat in the exact center of the desk before him. Miki's panicked, flash-lit, unreal-looking face stared directly at him.

Commissioner Okada Masahide's gaze locked onto this supermarket clerk, his expression indifferent, tinged with a hint of mockery and contempt, but fleeting, vanishing as quickly as an illusion.

His fingertips left the newspaper and returned to the desk. Leaning back slightly into the chair, this subtle motion seemed to lift an invisible weight, or like completing an important judgment.

He pressed the internal line phone on the desk: "Secretary Sato."

"Commissioner, your orders." The secretary's voice came immediately, respectful and efficient.

"For the budget review meeting at ten this morning, double-check the prepared materials. Additionally, schedule fifteen minutes this afternoon; I want to discuss with Superintendent General Watanabe Eiji the joint investigation into corruption crimes related to equipment procurement within the Metropolitan Police Department. Have him make time!"

"Yes, Commissioner! Preparing immediately!" The secretary's reply was crisp and decisive.

Eiji! Your daughter Watanabe Minami is blocking my son's path to promotion!

But I can't push her out, after all, she is Uesugi's fiancée.

So now only one option remains—department expansion!

If we can upgrade the Special Mission Unit to a Special Mission Division directly under the Criminal Investigation Department, and promote the division chief to the rank of Police Superintendent, then Minami's Police Management Officer position would be freed up for Masahide!

Commissioner Okada Masahide picked up his steel pen, his expression focused as he reviewed, brows slightly furrowed, sunlight catching his silver-white sideburns and stern profile, outlining an impeccable, imposing and deep silhouette of a political official.

This matter needs to be handled very carefully; for someone of his rank, proactively making a request to a Superintendent General of lower rank is actually very embarrassing and losing face, and would incur a huge debt of gratitude.

But there's no helping it—who let Masahide be his only son?

However, the good news is, he also has quite a few supporters.

For example, Vice Minister Kai of the Ministry of Justice, that old bastard pretends the whole time not to know or care, but actually secretly compiles news of Kai Toru's achievements into clips, closes the door during lunch break, and plays them repeatedly in his office.

If we don't send Minami up to a high position, how will anyone have room to promote?

Watanabe Eiji, you better not act shameless!

I heard you still want to aim for higher positions, then take the initiative, don't be ungrateful and force me to bring this up myself.

A flicker of a smile crossed Commissioner Okada Masahide's lips, his city as deep as an abyss, taken in and released in an instant.

……………………

At the same time, Tokyo Metropolis, Minato Ward, a certain 711 convenience store.

Around 10 a. m., during a completely empty time period, Uesugi Muneyuki held two cups of 711 convenience store freshly ground coffee worth 180 yen each, waiting for someone.

Prices in Tokyo are high; normal roadside water and coffee drinks, Uesugi Muneyuki has never seen below 400 yen; the 711 convenience store's freshly ground coffee is the cheapest among non-bottled beverages.

The 711 convenience store staff obviously recognized Uesugi Muneyuki; seeing him actually order this, their expression was a bit stuck.

Uesugi-san also drinks this?

This is obviously what the most destitute office workers drink in the morning to perk up!

Uesugi Muneyuki, however, had no reaction; he took the two cups of coffee, sat at the 711 seat, and watched the sunrise.

Perhaps because he actually drank such cheap, low-quality drink in Minato Ward, as the sun rose, the distant Tokyo Tower sparkled brightly, as if it had turned into a defense tower charging up, preparing to mercilessly purify the scum of this desecrated world's top few cities.

However, Uesugi Muneyuki was not afraid; he thought, if it truly finished charging and fired a beam, look, I'll summon the goddess Mazu to come and blast your whole tower away!

Just then, someone arrived.

The Chief of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit, Kirekawa Ryoichi, came in a hurry, carrying a briefcase, and sat down beside Uesugi Muneyuki. Seeing Uesugi Muneyuki hand him a cup of 711 freshly ground coffee worth 180 yen, Kirekawa Buchou had veins bulging on his forehead.

You want me to drink this trash?

In our prosecutor's office, we only drink the highest-grade, award-winning Blue Mountain coffee!

These past days, thinking about how the entire Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has been played around by the Metropolitan Police Department, with power unable to be exerted, a group of invincible prosecutors reduced to police assistants running back and forth, and then thinking about how a huge opportunity to suppress the entire police organization slipped through his fingers, Kirekawa Buchou's anger flared from all sides.

You won't even spring for me a Starbucks! Not even the cheapest Starbucks iced Americano!

Damn it, how is this Uesugi guy so awful!

"Buchou, drink it, I'm treating you." Uesugi Muneyuki pushed the coffee toward Kirekawa: "If you don't drink, it'll be inconvenient to talk, you know!"

"You better have something to say!" Kirekawa Buchou gulped down a mouthful of coffee, feeling it was indeed low-grade stuff: "What is it, asking us prosecutors to help?"

"Please, you sure?" Uesugi Muneyuki thought, no wonder the drinking culture of the previous generation was so popular.

This is actually just a kind of obedience test, especially highly valued in the three East Asian countries, because it symbolizes power.

The essence of power is being able to force someone to do something they don't want to do, for example... drinking this low-quality 711 freshly ground coffee.

"I have something good I want to share with you prosecutors." Of course, Uesugi Muneyuki was just teasing the Special Investigation Unit Chief of the prosecutors a little, suppressing his arrogant aura, and then he took a document bag from beside himself: "This."

"?" Kirekawa Buchou took the document bag, bypassed the line, then pulled out just a bit, his eyes widening: "This is?!"

This is the bribery record of the former Commissioner of the Fire Services Agency, Yuki Ketsuzan!

The total amount of bribes received is 240 million yen! This includes the bribery evidence of the former Fire Department Commissioner, the overseas bank account used for the bribes, legally valid audio recordings, and an analysis of all the tricks played in the Fire Department's equipment procurement!

All of it is here!

This... this is a big fish!

Kirekawa Buchou almost instantly showed an ecstatic expression, knowing that for these past few years, the Prosecutor's Special Investigation Unit, as the ace department, has actually had no particularly outstanding political achievements or merits, and moreover suffered a major setback in the Todai Case, and did nothing in this Fire Department bulletproof vest incident, with the outside world mocking the once five-star MacArthur-appointed, god-slaying, Buddha-slaying Prosecutor's Special Investigation Unit as having become a toy of civil servants and an assistant to the Metropolitan Police Department.

And this thing can not only let the Special Investigation Unit turn around all public opinion in one go and wash away past shame, but also truly take down a big fish!

Uesugi Muneyuki actually would give this to the Prosecutor's Office?

Oh, yes, indeed, the Metropolitan Police Department's rank is insufficient, unable to arrest and investigate someone of the Fire Commissioner's level, indeed requiring cooperation from the Prosecutor's Office.

But, this is Uesugi Muneyuki, do you dare to confront him?

The ecstatic expression on Kirekawa Buchou's face was immediately forcibly suppressed: "Speak, what do you want our Prosecutor's Special Investigation Unit to do?"

"Make a big deal out of this." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "Don't let this incident end with just the Metropolitan Police Department and police bulletproof vests, but for the Metropolitan Police Department, let it go only as far as the Equipment Section Chief and the Police Affairs Department Supervision Officer."

"Of course." The Prosecutor's Special Investigation Unit naturally wanted to make a big deal out of this, in these people's eyes, those are walking achievements and merits: "Anything else?"

"Will the arrest of the Fire Commissioner lead to the suicide of a National Diet Member's secretary?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked softly.

"Possibly a surrender, also possibly suicide." Kirekawa Buchou did a quick calculation, then nodded.

"Then can you notify me so I can perform an autopsy?"

"... Yes! Anything else?" The Prosecutor's Office was practically begging for it.

TMD, Uesugi Muneyuki this guy, how can he be so friendly!

"There's still a small request..."

Kirekawa Akira, like holding a newborn baby, clung tightly to the documents and walked away, leaving only Uesugi Muneyuki sitting in place, he gazed at the back of the Prosecutor's Special Investigation Headquarters Chief and revealed a hint of a smile.

Don't hang yourself on one tree, if the Metropolitan Police Department won't do it, there's still the Prosecutor's Office, if the Prosecutor's Office won't do it, there's still the Metropolitan Police Department.

Alright, it's time to go find Mai Xuejie!

Uesugi Muneyuki finished his coffee and stood up.

Kashiwagi Jin's justice continues.

And my justice has only just begun!

(Chapter End)