Chapter 6: Uesugi's Past and Present Lives

The old man and the young man took a few glances under the big screen before bidding each other farewell. Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but take another look at the scroll on the screen: outside a white pavilion by the sea, a woman in a pure white dress leaned alone against a pristine white pillar, her luxurious blue crystal earrings dangling leisurely against her delicate ears.

Her stunning figure under the sea breeze, with her proud bust and the curvaceous lines of her waist and hips, could not conceal the moving demeanor of this goddess senior. Set against the extreme pure white and her perfect facial features, the people and scenery nearby seemed to blur automatically. The gentle sea breeze lifted a corner of her white floral skirt, and at her temple, where her long, beautiful, straight black hair was tucked, a simple pink rabbit hair accessory revealed an incongruous sense of allure.

I will always love Senior Mai!

Uesugi Muneyuki felt speechless recalling how excited those guys were back in high school, but he was also clear that deep down, he too yearned for this goddess senior.

The experience of living two lives had taught Uesugi Muneyuki to face the deepest desires in his heart.

As for why Uesugi Muneyuki, a dignified Tokyo native, went to Gunma Prefecture for high school, it was mainly because after Uesugi Muneyuki awakened in his second year of high school, he felt out of place with his current identity and new environment. Furthermore, as the second son, he would not inherit the family business, which led to his feelings of disgust and alienation toward his family. He always felt this world wasn't real, that he was just living inside a game, a virtual world.

At the dinner table, the second-year high schooler Uesugi Muneyuki asked his parents if he could leave Tokyo to study elsewhere for two years and return for university.

His parents were naturally puzzled and refused, especially his father, Uesugi Hironori, who stated that if he moved out, he should never call himself his son again.

At this moment, Uesugi Muneyuki said one sentence: "Perhaps you shouldn't have given birth to me, this second son, in the first place."

These words deeply hurt his biological father and mother. Uesugi Hironori had no choice but to compromise. He originally wanted Uesugi Muneyuki to study in Kanagawa or Chiba, but Uesugi Muneyuki hoped to go further away, so he chose Gunma.

It was precisely because of this that Uesugi Muneyuki had two encounters in Gunma: the first was the goddess Senior Mai, and the second was the school doctor, whose influence led him to choose the path of medicine.

Now, the Azure Gem in his body had been activated, and he seemed to have found the meaning of living once again.

Take it!

Uesugi Muneyuki clenched his fist toward the screen.

Returning to his apartment, he hung his clothes, which were filled with the smell of barbecue, on the rack. Uesugi Muneyuki turned on the light and casually said "I'm home" to the room, knowing no one would respond. He sat on the sofa and turned on the TV, where news about his Senior Mai was playing again.

After some thought, Uesugi Muneyuki took the envelope out of his clothes.

Inside lay 10,000 yen, the "remuneration" for the last autopsy.

Touching the thin banknote, Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but sneer.

He really hadn't lied; he really needed money. An Intern Physician's monthly salary of 220,000 yen in Tokyo wasn't enough to pretend to be a rich guy, let alone be poor. The reason he could be so carefree was mainly because the apartment was his family's own property, plus his father subsidized him 300,000 yen every month.

Otherwise, with a monthly salary of 220,000 yen, Uesugi Muneyuki would only be fit to live in Adachi Ward, Setagaya Ward, or even Chiba or Kanagawa. He would have to control his meals, unable to eat whatever he wanted, and it would be even more impossible to change girlfriends frequently.

Making money, in the end, comes down to two methods: one, increasing income; two, cutting expenses.

Cutting expenses was impossible for Uesugi Muneyuki, who had lived two lives. He could at most control himself from spending recklessly or squandering. If he were to be like other wage earners, staring at supermarket evening discounts and half-price bento boxes all day, or asking community aunties if they had leftover clothes, wouldn't he have transmigrated in vain?

So the most important thing was to increase income; he needed to earn as much money as possible.

Today could be considered a good first step. His autopsy ability had been affirmed by Professor Okochi and Assistant Police Inspector Tanaka. In the future, if there were similar problems, they would likely prioritize him. And Uesugi Muneyuki himself could communicate with Dead Souls through his Contract Law ability, which was equivalent to holding the answers while working out the process. As long as he could memorize forensic knowledge by rote, continuing such a miraculous performance should be a breeze.

So the question arose: how many corpses could Assistant Police Inspector Tanaka let him examine in a month? 5? 10? 20?

Where would so many non-natural deaths and civil autopsies come from?

Assuming he could examine 10 a month, the remuneration would be 100,000 yen. Plus, as just confirmed, the Police Station would definitely provide transportation and boxed meals for off-site work. Calculating a meal at 1,000 yen, the monthly income would be 110,000-120,000 yen.

So, excluding the 300,000 yen from home, Uesugi Muneyuki could get his hands on about 330,000-350,000 yen a month.

Calculated at the simplest 100:5 ratio, Uesugi Muneyuki's monthly salary was about 16,000-18,000 RMB. Theoretically, this salary could allow for a quite decent life in his previous life.

However, this was Tokyo.

The minimum hourly wage in Tokyo was 900 yen. Theoretically, working 8 hours a day for 21 days a month, the monthly income would be 150,000 yen at most. Converted to RMB, that's 7,500. Doesn't sound like too little, right?

But 150,000 yen in Tokyo is only enough to struggle painfully on the poverty line.

Because rent in Tokyo is very expensive, and the cost of living is also very high! Even for the worst, old, broken, small, poor-man's apartment in Bunkyo Ward, Uesugi Muneyuki had never seen a monthly rent lower than 50,000 yen. And eating in Tokyo is expensive; even if one eats half-price bento every day or buys near-expiry meat, vegetables, and rice to cook, considering basic nutritional needs, the monthly expense for food alone cannot be less than 50,000. Add in casual daily expenses, commuting needs, and daily necessities, 150,000 yen is really just "surviving."

Heh, who isn't struggling to survive in this giant melting pot?

To maintain a somewhat decent life in Tokyo, a monthly salary of at least 300,000 or more is needed.

Let's leave it at that for now!

Uesugi Muneyuki carefully put the money away and stood up to look at the calendar.

Tomorrow was the day for the family dinner again.

The Yonezawa Uesugi Clan held a dinner at their home in Bunkyo Ward every Saturday night.

…………

Just as Uesugi Muneyuki said, the Uesugi of Uesugi Muneyuki was the Uesugi of Uesugi Kenshin. He was a descendant of a Daimyo Feudal Lord in the true sense, a descendant of the Peerage.

Although after the war, the Peerage was officially abolished by Five-Star MacArthur, and their privileges were revoked one after another, to this day, some of the Peerage had fallen to the level of ordinary workers or ordinary small landlords, but a portion of the Peerage still maintained considerable influence.

The Yonezawa Uesugi Clan clearly belonged to the latter.

The Yonezawa Uesugi Clan originated in the Kamakura period. Later, it was passed down to Uesugi Shigefusa, the uncle of Ashikaga Takauji, the Shogun who opened the Muromachi Shogunate, as the first generation of the Uesugi Clan. Relying on his relationship with his nephew, the Uesugi Clan was able to serve as the Guardian of the Kanto Region. As time passed, the Uesugi Clan's power grew, and thus the position of "Kanto Kanrei" was born, held by the Uesugi Clan for generations.

The once-prosperous Uesugi Clan could not escape the fate of the moon's waxing and waning. Starting from the middle of the Muromachi Shogunate, it gradually moved toward division and infighting, and the Uesugi Zenshu Rebellion broke out. The Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan began to become the main branch, but with the arrival of the Sengoku period, the Yamanouchi Uesugi Clan and the Ogigayatsu Uesugi Clan were defeated by the Later Hojo Clan of Odawara in the Battle of Kawagoe. The Yamanouchi Uesugi existed in name only from then on. The Head of the House, Uesugi Norimasa, was forced to choose to adopt his retainer Nagao Kagetora as his foster son, letting him change his name to Uesugi Masatora and inherit the Uesugi family name.

Nagao Kagetora was the son of Nagao Tamekage, the Guardian Deputy of Echigo, and was a descendant of the Bando Eight Heishi. He had a more famous name, which was "Uesugi Kenshin," but in fact, he himself only used this name for a few years.

Uesugi Kenshin died suddenly without an heir, and the "Otate no Ran" broke out. His foster son Uesugi Kagekatsu defeated another foster son, Uesugi Kagetora, to inherit the family business. In the Battle of Sekigahara, he belonged to the Western Army. After the war, he suffered a reduction in fief, from 1.2 million koku in Aizu to 300,000 koku in Yonezawa, which became the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan.

After the Meiji Restoration, the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan became part of the Peerage. At first, they were involved in politics in the Tohoku region, but later, during the Taisho period, the family petitioned for the people and protested against tax issues, only to be hit by an iron fist. They were forced to transform into a scholarly family and moved the whole family to live in Tokyo.

A name plaque reading "Uesugi" hung on the black-and-gold Western-style gate. Inside, the hundred-ping courtyard was not large, but flower gardens, pavilions, ponds with koi, small bridges and flowing water, stone lanterns, and dry landscapes were all present. It was natural and seamless, yet lacked no detailed embellishments. The corners of the courtyard were piled with stones, and under the cherry blossoms, beside the stone lanterns, water flowed endlessly into a thin bamboo deer-scarer.

The murmuring sound of water, the melodious chirping of birds, and the crisp sound of green bamboo hitting stone awakened Uesugi Muneyuki's childhood memories.

The main gate was inscribed with the famous saying of the ninth Feudal Lord Uesugi Yōzan: "Where there is a will, there is a way." A garden Western-style house stood at the end of the line of sight. The house was a typical Japanese-Western eclectic style, retaining traditional Japanese wooden structures, lattice windows, and sliding doors, while also having Western-style wooden wainscoting, Gothic spires, and Baroque railings.

This Japanese-Western mixed architectural style and clothing style had a specific term in Japan.

Taisho Romanticism.

An old man with white hair, wearing a kimono with a black background and gold-rimmed bamboo-sparrow patterns, was standing on the small bridge feeding the fish. Seeing Uesugi Muneyuki's arrival, the old man nodded slightly and smiled, but immediately withdrew his expression, returning to a serious and dignified look: "You're back?"

Uesugi Kuninori, the current Head of the House of the Uesugi, a tenured professor at Tokyo University, a professor at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, and a winner of the Emperor's Award. With every move, he was dignified without being angry.

"Grandfather, I'm home." Uesugi Muneyuki bowed.

The old man twitched his white eyebrows. He examined Uesugi Muneyuki's mental state and, seeing that he was not decadent after transferring to the Forensic Medicine Department but rather appeared more spirited and seasoned, he nodded inwardly. He had no extra words: "Go in, your father is looking for you."

Entering the main gate, Uesugi Hironori and Uesugi Muneyuki's mother, Uesugi Tomoko, were already there.

Uesugi Hironori, Director of the Tokyo Cultural Exchange Hall, a Keio University graduate, President of the Keio Alumni Association, and also Uesugi Muneyuki's biological father. At over 40, his figure was slightly fat, his belly round, and even the kimono didn't look loose on him. His black hair was slicked back, shiny and bright, and he had stubble on his lips. As soon as he saw Uesugi Muneyuki, the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes immediately spread, his eyebrows curved into crescents, and he grinned and took a few steps forward: "Hehehe~ Yukimatsumaru, you're back. Sit down quickly, sit down quickly. Hey, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up, hurry up! Where is Chitokumaru?"

Chitokumaru was the childhood name of Uesugi Muneyuki's older brother Uesugi Sadanori, and Yukimatsumaru was the childhood name of Uesugi Muneyuki himself.

"Muneyuki! Come here, come here, let Mother see you. Hmm, you poor child have suffered lately!" Uesugi Tomoko was a noblewoman of about forty-some years, dressed in a pale gray elegant garment, her hair styled in a standard noblewoman's updo. Though her eye corners already showed the passage of time, one could tell she had been a classic beauty in her youth; even now, though no longer young, she remained graceful.

Uesugi Muneyuki's mother came from a noble background and was herself a member of the Japan Waka Association and an important member of the Karuta Association.

"Father, Mother." Uesugi Muneyuki bowed again, and seeing the affectionate way his father was tugging at his arm, he could only offer a helpless smile.

When he had first transmigrated, he had been very uncomfortable for a time, which led him to speak rudely and hurt his parents' feelings, but several years had passed now, and he had slowly accepted his new identity.

Life always finds a way.

What Uesugi Hironori was most proud of was the "bet" with Uesugi Muneyuki; he felt that it was his own decisive action that had caused Uesugi Muneyuki to suddenly awaken in his second year of high school and fight his way into Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and he was particularly proud of it.

After a while, Uesugi Muneyuki's older brother, Uesugi Sadanori, also appeared. Uesugi Sadanori was a few years older than Uesugi Muneyuki and was a graduate of Waseda University, currently remaining at the school as an Archaeological Researcher. The brothers looked very much alike, only the older brother had a more scholarly air, while the younger brother appeared slightly more indifferent.

The weekly family dinner began. Everyone sat around the semi-old mahogany round table in the house, preparing to dine on old-fashioned cherry wood chairs, while servants brought out brightly colored delicacies and lit the charcoal fire.

At the dining table, the grandfather and older brother, who were engaged in long-term academic research, did not speak much. Only his father, Uesugi Hironori, took the initiative to ask: "How is it? Yukimatsumaru, are things going smoothly on your end?"

"I am currently just an Intern Physician at a university-affiliated hospital; I still have a long way to go." Uesugi Muneyuki shook his head helplessly.

"Hey, don't say that, you are an authority on autopsies in the Forensic Pathology Department!" Uesugi Hironori said with a mischievous smile: "I know everything; the detectives at the Police Station praise you for being very capable, and even that old pedant Okochi says you might be a genius in this field!"

His father had this kind of personality, and Uesugi Muneyuki was used to it. He also teased: "Is everything going smoothly on Father's side?"

"Hehehe, it's alright. Last month I only held seven or eight art exhibitions, concerts, and festivals, which is barely top-ten level in Tokyo~" Uesugi Hironori leaned back triumphantly: "Still not as impressive as you, Yukimatsumaru, daring to oppose the judgment of the Police Station section chief~"

"Righteousness is what our ancestor Lord Kenshin sought his whole life, and it is what I seek as well. To let me sign off hastily when I know there is a problem, I cannot do it." Uesugi Muneyuki said earnestly: "This is also what Grandfather and Father have always taught me."

"That is a sound argument." Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori nodded without saying more, while Mother Uesugi Tomoko busily scalded fish slices for her two sons.

"You are right, these people nowadays, hmph~" Uesugi Hironori snorted with great displeasure, seemingly feeling that everyone was bullying his cute son: "By the way, should I go talk to the Medical and Dental University and have you transferred back to the Department of Surgery? Don't worry, the main family may not be good at other things, but we still have a lot of influence in the cultural world."

"No need, I think it's quite good as it is." Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself, I finally triggered a new ability, what would be the point of transferring back?

He needed to do this right now.

"I see. We won't force you. In any case, as long as you like it, since you've decided to work in this field, then do it well!" Uesugi Hironori finished laughing and put away his relaxed expression: "Don't be afraid, we will stand behind you. If you encounter trouble, just tell me, tell the main family."

"Hironori is right, don't be afraid. I have some influence, your father has some, and your brother has some. We don't understand professional forensic affairs and can't help you there, but if anyone dares to cause you trouble in the shadows, we will always stand behind you." Grandfather Uesugi Kuninori said: "Go ahead and do it, your ability will be seen by someone."

Older brother Uesugi Sadanori finally spoke up: "If there is any information you want to investigate, just come to me."

"If you need Mother, Mother has some reputation in Tokyo too, oh~~~" Uesugi Tomoko seized the opportunity to say; she didn't get many chances to speak on such occasions.

Uesugi Muneyuki took a deep breath and nodded slowly: "Then I will trouble you all."

"What trouble? We are a family." Uesugi Hironori and his wife raised their wine glasses to signal their two sons to pour: "Hehehehe, that's my good son!"

————I am the divider line for being born into a good family————

Having gained the understanding and full support of his family, Uesugi Muneyuki felt much more at ease, and Assistant Police Inspector Tanaka did not make him wait too long. Just one week later, the travel-worn Assistant Police Inspector Tanaka came to the door again.

"Professor Okochi, little brother Uesugi, I have to trouble you both again this time."

"In a residence in Yamabuki-cho, two corpses have been discovered!"

I once wanted to write a novel about the Sengoku period of Japan, but firstly, no one read it, and secondly, there were no silk stockings, so I gave up decisively.

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(End of this chapter)