Chapter 448

In the third year of the Uesugi era, mid-March.

At 8:40 a. m., the Special Mission Unit of Investigation Division 1 smelled of cheap coffee.

Date Nagamune was stuffing a yakisoba bun into his mouth when tomato sauce from the packaging splattered all over his hand.

"Damn it! This amount of blood rivals Kabukicho!" he muttered, shaking his hand, while forensic examiner Ishihara Mikoto from the Forensic Identification Division immediately tossed him an evidence bag: "Hurry and take a sample—maybe we can detect genetically modified tomato DNA."

"Is that Kai kid late again?" Uesugi Muneyuki arrived at that moment, carrying a briefcase alone, with Ikeda Erena behind him. The tall beauty wore a standard spring suit—tailored trousers, leather shoes, short hair, a lovely face, and her unique heroic bearing with sharp eyes, making this relatively rare female field officer a striking sight in the Special Mission Unit.

Ikeda Patrol Officer……no, should be called Ikeda Deputy Section Chief now. This 25-year-old female police officer achieved an astonishing three-level promotion in five years: she entered the Metropolitan Police Department at 20 as a non-career female officer, was promoted to Patrol Officer Section Chief at 23, officially transferred to Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters at 24, and promoted to Deputy Section Chief at 25.

Such speed—let alone non-career track, even on the career track, few have advanced this quickly. Moreover, it's well known that female police officers face numerous hurdles in promotion, with the deepest obstacles being transferring from local precincts to headquarters and advancing from Patrol Officer Section Chief to Deputy Section Chief. Erena encountered almost no barriers.

Of course, it cannot be said there were none.

In the Japanese police, starting from Patrol Officer Section Chief, promotion requires not only sufficient seniority and superior approval, but also taking a "promotion examination."

Erena……failed the Deputy Section Chief promotion exam, failed the first retake.

Until the second attempt, helpless Minami had no choice but to request a teacher from Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters responsible for this subject, nearly having Erena memorize the original questions by rote, before the tall beauty finally passed and was officially promoted to Deputy Section Chief.

Thus, after the Toshima Ward Ghost Case and the largest corruption case since the Heisei era, the new structure of Investigation Division 1's Special Mission Unit is as follows:

Special Mission Unit Police Management Officer: Superintendent Watanabe Minami.

Investigation Division 1 Chief Medical Examiner: Chief Uesugi Muneyuki (receiving Deputy Section Chief-level treatment).

Special Mission Unit Section Chief: Inspector Okada Masayoshi.

Members: Deputy Section Chief Ikeda Erena, Deputy Section Chief Kai Toru, Patrol Officer Section Chief Igarashi Hayato, Inspector Date Nagamune, Forensic Assistant Ishihara Mikoto (also receiving treatment equivalent to Tokyo University Assistant and Metropolitan Police Department Patrol Officer).

Around this time, rewards for Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami came down from above.

Besides promotion at Tokyo University, Uesugi Muneyuki also received the Imperial Household Agency's "Tachibana Award" and a thank-you letter stamped by the Emperor from the Imperial Palace! The Emperor and Empress invited Uesugi Muneyuki to participate in next year's Imperial Palace Garden Party!

Tachibana Award……Uesugi Muneyuki stared at the Emperor's handwritten thank-you letter, his expression indescribably strange.

Earlier it was said that the Uesugi clan simultaneously bears the four surnames granted by subject status—Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, Tachibana—having the first three, and now the Imperial Palace sent the "Tachibana Award," what a deal—all four surnames are now complete.

This must be due to grandfather's efforts, for grandfather has always been qualified to attend the Seiryo Palace as an academic luminary……likely what he most hopes to see is that, after his retirement, he and his brother can take his place and attend Seiryo Palace together?

As a type of Emperor's Award, the Tachibana Award actually carries little monetary value, but the status it represents is entirely different—just look at Professor Okochi: having received the Emperor's Award, Dean Ukai, though he finds this old thing unpleasant, can do nothing about it.

Watanabe Minami received the Cabinet Red Decoration and Police Merit Medal Special Honor.

The most honors went to Okada Masayoshi, who received the Blue Decoration symbolizing the highest national honor and Police Merit Medal Special Honor, with National Public Safety Commission Chairman Higashi Kotaro personally visiting his hospital ward to confer the decoration and see him, while the Metropolitan Police Department awarded him the Superintendent General's Award and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government granted him the title of "Honorary Citizen," and the United Nations conferred upon him the title of "Ambassador for Child Protection."

Riding this east wind, the Metropolitan Police Department also granted Okada Masayoshi "receiving Superintendent-level treatment" and "promotion in rank" as a half-promotion; in fact, if not for Okada Masayoshi and his father Okada Masahide repeatedly stating their unwillingness to leave the Special Mission Unit, Okada Masayoshi would certainly have been promoted.

This is surely due to Okada's father pulling strings.

A muffled laugh came from the corner; Ishihara Mikoto chuckled strangely: "People now have heartfelt bento protection—yesterday I brought tamagoyaki, takoyaki, and oyakodon."

Date Nagamune and Igarashi Hayato in the Special Mission Unit felt somewhat embarrassed; though neither is short on money, their rice balls suddenly seemed unappetizing.

"Speaking of yesterday's big case, the Prosecutors Office finally has some results." The forensic beauty today wore a drunk-blue clear-sky vertical-striped knit shirt and long skirt with slightly pearl-colored flesh-toned pantyhose and a pair of shallow-mouthed riveted high heels, only wearing a white coat outside, paired with standard workplace nude attire, truly exuding the aura of a doctor-beauty with endless fox-like charm.

Uesugi Muneyuki snorted upon hearing this, and even the Special Mission Unit members hearing the news couldn't help but suppress laughter.

Just yesterday, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit formally held a press conference, announcing the解破 of a major case related to the Daiwa Bōgu corruption scandal!

Former Fire Department Chief Yuuki Ketsuzan's bribery and corruption case!

"Recently, with approval from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit launched an investigation into the serious disciplinary and legal violations of former Fire Department Chief Yuuki Ketsuzan.

Investigation revealed that former Fire Department Chief Yuuki Ketsuzan, as department chief, lost his ideals and beliefs, abandoned his original aspirations and mission, resisted organizational inspection, disregarded rules and regulations, used his authority and position to influence fire department equipment procurement, seized the opportunity to amass wealth, illegally accepted gifts and cash, violated organizational principles, and during organizational discussions, failed to truthfully explain problems; used his authority to seek benefits for others' job promotions and position adjustments, illegally held shares in offshore companies, failed to promptly resolve issues affecting national vital interests, causing negative impacts, used his position to facilitate including Daiwa Bōgu and other companies in providing review conveniences, personnel transfers, etc., to seek benefits, demanded kickbacks, illegally accepted huge amounts of property up to 3.5 billion yen, abused authority, causing major loss of national tax funds.

Yuuki Ketsuzan seriously violated the Japanese Public Officials Act, organizational discipline, integrity discipline, public discipline, work discipline, and life discipline, constituting serious official misconduct, and is suspected of bribery and abuse of authority; moreover, even after mandatory retirement, he did not restrain himself or cease his actions, the nature is serious, the influence恶劣, and he should be severely punished."

The downfall of the former Fire Department Chief dealt another massive blow to Tokyo's political circles, for although the Fire Department Chief is not considered a powerful or influential bureaucrat, this is still a department chief, equivalent to a bureau-level official, a political official!

Political officials have always had the privilege of not being punished above the rank of senior official, and only the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit can strike them with full force.

Of course, as the Prosecutors Office dug deeper, many rumors surfaced, such as 《Friday》 claiming this Fire Department Chief was a regular at various high-end clubs, fond of "bubble bath hundred slashes" for hunting beauty, and it's said that many adult entertainment businesses in Minato Ward and Shinjuku are familiar with him, a renowned "King's Way Conquest" warrior, having slept with countless seaside beauties.

Moreover, it's said this former Fire Department Chief has a special preference—he likes to order one man and one woman simultaneously, pretending to be an "inept husband," watching the named escort and the named stud engage in infidelity.

This news is so perverse that everyone believes it to be true.

Because humans cannot imagine anything beyond their cognitive range, and without ironclad evidence, gossip media dare not spread rumors under the Prosecutors Office's gaze.

"Speaking of which." Ishihara Mikoto sipped canned black coffee and suddenly narrowed her eyes: "The last time Director Tabuchi committed suicide, the department strangely didn't call Chief Uesugi to examine the corpse! Could it be they feared Chief Uesugi would discover something?"

"No way, we all know why former Director Tabuchi committed suicide, the Metropolitan Police Department knows why former Director Tabuchi committed suicide, we know we know the Metropolitan Police Department knows we know why former Director Tabuchi committed suicide, so they definitely wouldn't let Uesugi-san examine the corpse." Date Nagamune retorted: "Enough already."

"Mm-hm, makes sense!" Igarashi, who usually doesn't talk much, but is always cheerful: "No wonder, Date-san!"

The laughter hadn't faded when Management Officer Minami appeared ghostlike in the tea room: "Bored? Need me to apply to have you all seconded to subway stations to check for watermelon cards?"

The room instantly fell silent except for the sound of sipping coffee, and Minami Ojou-sama calmly said: "Received orders—an elderly man fell from a building in Ikebukuro in the early morning, possible homicide!"

The Special Mission Unit members all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally here!" Uesugi Muneyuki thought, fresh guts! We need more guts!

"If there were no more cases, Grandfather would suspect I'm being sidelined." Date Nagamune also complained.

"Yeah yeah, yesterday after work I passed by the basement, and General Affairs staff were still complaining that the Special Mission Unit isn't doing anything." Igarashi laughed.

Minami Ojou-sama nodded, signaling everyone to prepare to go to the scene.

"Special Mission Unit! Move out!"

……………………

Just as Minami Ojou-sama personally led the team to prepare for on-site investigation

The doorbell rang sharply, tearing through the dead silence of the apartment. Ikeda Miki was curled on the sofa scrolling through a flood of hateful comments on her phone, fingertips cold. She sprang up like a startled rabbit, heart pounding. Who would come at this time? Reporter? Creditor? She trembled as she approached the peephole.

At a glance, her blood seemed to freeze instantly!

Outside stood a person wearing a semi-worn black leather jacket, tall and burly, nearly blocking the entire peephole view. He slightly lowered his head, the brim of his cap pressed low, but that jawline with coarse lines and a faint old scar, and the corner of his mouth bearing a smile-not-smile arc that sends chills down the spine.

"Yo, Miki-chan?"

"I never expected it, never expected it—I just said how you suddenly disappeared, turns out you became the 'Heroic Superintendent's' wife~ amazing, if I hadn't seen you in the newspaper, I wouldn't know where you went."

"Newspapers and TV have been lively, Miki-chan. You look… not doing too well, huh? As your ex-boyfriend, I…… came specially to check on you." The distance between them was close enough for Miki to feel the threatening heat radiating from him. He leaned forward slightly, that scarred face drawing near, eyes like viscous poisonous snakes, tightly entwining Miki's terrified gaze: "How does it feel? Being lifted to heaven then thrown down—doesn't it feel awful?"

Miki's breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently, overwhelming fear rendering her almost unable to think.

He, how did he find his way here?!

Chapter End