Chapter 614

PS: This chapter was quite draining to write, and I felt writing it in one go would be better, so here's everyone's favorite two-in-one 5400-word super sustainable science mega-chapter! (Already harmonized).

In the quiet inner room of the Special Mission Unit office, Uesugi Muneyuki put down the phone.

"Yifu Daren said he'll come right after finishing what's on hand."

"————————" Minami Ojou-sama's eyes were dull, leaning on the chair speechless, pupils unfocused, looking completely broken.

"Mina Mi Jiang?" Uesugi Muneyuki waved a hand before Minami's face, smiling softly: "My fiancée, Special Mission Unit Management Officer, Minami Ojou-sama who became a Career Track Superintendent at not yet 25, say something?"

"What can I say? You've made it like this, what else can I say? Sōsetsu! Can you stop finding trouble for us every day! Kora!" Minami Ojou-sama finally snapped back, pinching Uesugi Muneyuki's face in exasperation, half-angry half-amused: "Thought we'd made great merit again! Result, result———— Heavens! Eight Million Gods above!"

"What? We didn't make great merit?" Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't hold back laughter, shaking his head repeatedly: "This is heaven-shaking merit!"

"Heh, heaven-shaking merit, you want this blessing?" Minami Ojou-sama flew into a rage out of shame, her stockinged feet in standard 5cm commuter high-heeled shoes kicking Uesugi hard: "I'm serious!

Seriously!"

Minami Ojou-sama clicked her tongue lightly, but didn't pursue further; she'd actually already learned the past from Asuka roughly.

Initial D is a comic.

Fujiwara Takumi is the protagonist of Initial D.

Mogi Natsuki is the heroine of Initial D; she has a famous incident so externally she's known as the campus idol nobody in Gunma Prefectural High School doesn't know.

She has sweet looks, cheerful personality, charming smile, object of many boys' admiration, and was protagonist Fujiwara Takumi's girlfriend at the time. Like a clear breeze in summer, she brought bright color and youthful throbbing to Takumi's dull delivery life.

However, beneath this purity, Natsuki lives an unknown "double life". Due to family reasons (father died early, mother neglected her) and ignorant yearning for material life, she went "all the way north" with an adult male; in her own words, though she dates Takumi, this character's core is a catalyst for growth and redemption; Natsuki's core value lies not merely in her romance with Takumi, but in the conflicts and growth she triggers.

Catalyst for Takumi's growth: when Takumi accidentally discovers Natsuki's secret, his world instantly collapses. This huge impact stings him far more profoundly than any racing rivalry, forcing him awake from emotional dullness and passivity, beginning to face reality's complexity and cruelty. Natsuki's "betrayal" is the first "wall crash" in Takumi's emotional world, accelerating his transformation from boy to man.

Her own contradictions and awakening: Natsuki is not a purely negative character.

She is kind, genuinely likes Takumi, enjoys simple pure joy with him. Her behavior stems from inner emptiness and mistaken seeking of affection. When truth is exposed, she also endures enormous pain, shame, self-blame. This event becomes her self-reflection starting point; she begins reality's mirror; Natsuki's story injects heavy realism into this work full of speed and passion.

She reveals beneath the glossy surface, the confusion, loneliness, and wrong value choices youths may face, making Initial D's world fuller and more real.

In summary, Mogi Natsuki is a figure where tragedy and hope coexist. She is a deep scar in Takumi's youth, and a crucial "corner" on his growth path. Her story concerns mistakes, price, awakening, and redemption.

And as regular employees of a corporate company, they suffered little impact from the bubble bursting; many even achieved financial freedom riding this east wind.

Different employees work in the same space, breathing the same air-conditioned air, yet seem to inhabit two parallel worlds separated by glass — dispatched employees and regular employees alike can see everything of the "company", yet forever separated by a cold barrier named "dispatch".

On this point, earlier text also said: to stabilize core talent and cultivate employee loyalty post-WWII, Japanese big enterprises universally established "lifetime employment" and "seniority system". Regular employees thus became the company's "insiders", enjoying comprehensive benefits and career security, price being absolute loyalty to enterprise and "devotion to company as family". This is the core of Japanese economic golden age corporate culture.

Economic pressure and flexibility needs (rise of dispatched employees): after the 1990s economic bubble burst, strict lifetime employment became a huge burden on enterprises. To cope with global competition and economic fluctuations, Japan revised the Worker Dispatch Law multiple times in 1986 and 2004, relaxing restrictions on dispatched labor.

Enterprises thereby could outsource non-core, highly cyclical business, hire dispatched employees to flexibly adjust labor costs, like a "safety valve", able to lay off quickly and cheaply when economy is bad, without touching core regular employee ranks.

Cost and control: for enterprises, dispatched employees' direct wages, benefits, and management costs are far lower than regular employees. Simultaneously, assigning trivial, highly repetitive work to dispatch workers lets regular employees focus more on core business and management posts.

"Oh, this, actually simple, because Nakamura doesn't know them." Uesugi Muneyuki laughed after thinking a while: "Think, Nakamura Kenichi is an investigative journalist for Weekly Bunshun's parent company Bungei Shunjū; Bungei Shunjū basically only reports domestic matters, so Nakamura Kenichi naturally recognizes who are domestic — tsk tsk, practically a VIP list — but those overseas he actually doesn't know; the only one photographed, this military attaché, was only noticed because he wore a uniform."

"Diplomatic personnel like this would actually be photographed wearing uniforms————" Minami said speechlessly.

"Overseas embassies have always been the promised land for second-third generations." Uesugi Muneyuki wasn't surprised at this.

Just then, Watanabe Eiji arrived: "Sōsetsu, Minami, what's wrong?"

He even had a smile on his face.

Wow, Yifu Daren this happy is right! Uesugi Muneyuki with a half-smile hurriedly pulled over a chair, gesturing he sit.

I'll give you a huge surprise!

Watanabe Eiji was a bit flattered, thinking this son-in-law-to-be wasn't always very stubborn? How so polite today?

"This investigation, I found something explosive; Minami and I discussed, decided to ask Yifu Daren you to look." Uesugi Muneyuki said calmly.

Minami wore a fitted police uniform; her face had long lost its usual capable composure, only pallor and incredulity left. She clenched fists, nails nearly digging into palms; seeing her father already looking at photos, she helplessly closed her eyes.

Can I swap brains? One that doesn't know this, hasn't seen these photos!

However, as famous Silicon Valley philosopher, thinker, writer Li Xinye said in "Human* Dating Guide", the reason Minami is actually so infatuated with Uesugi Muneyuki is also this.

Stimulation!

Being with Uesugi, every day has no lack of freshness, because this man always stirs things up, bringing this young lady infinite surprises and scares!

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"6

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Watanabe Eiji, this Superintendent General who has floated in police circles for decades, known for composure and depth, finally confirmed what Uesugi Muneyuki showed him.

How, these people look so like those political party VIPs he knows?

How, these characters look so like Japanese?

How, this world has such strong connection to the real world?

How———— this matter looks so like it's real?

Oh ho ho ho~ Exaggerated wow, Sōsetsu silently assisted Public Security investigate a case, this could actually dig up such a huge surprise wow?

This surprise for you, you want it or not——————

His face, still radiant from cracking a serial major case, now drained of all color, lips trembling slightly, one hand braced on cold metal desk surface, knuckles white from force, other hand pressing forehead, as if not doing so he'd faint.

Superintendent General stared dead at the already blacked-out screen, as if those unbearable images still burned before his eyes.

"This———— this is the surprise you give me"?" Watanabe Eiji's voice hoarse, carrying near-exhausted trembling, he suddenly lifted head to look at Uesugi Muneyuki, eyes no longer appreciation, but mixed shock,

anger and enormous fear complex emotions: "Sōsetsu! Where is this a surprise! This———— this is an atomic bomb that can blow the whole country to the sky"!"

Almost a low roar, completely losing his usual Director General dignity.

He knows too well what these things leaking means — not just Akimoto Shin'ichirō's personal downfall, but shaking the entire ruling party's foundation, an unprecedented political earthquake, chain reactions enough to make the existing power structure collapse!

This has far exceeded what the Metropolitan Police Department can handle, or even bear!

"Who else knows? Besides us three, who else has seen these things?!" Watanabe Eiji pressed repeatedly, tone urgent, full of panic.

The immense pressure caused fine cold sweat to seep from his brow. He felt not as if he were holding a merit report, but as if he were sitting on the rim of a volcano about to erupt.

"Only the three of us for now." Uesugi Muneyuki replied calmly, "The SD card was obtained secretly by me, and opened in an absolutely secure environment. Public Security only knows I returned to the scene and found it, but not the specific contents. Nagase Shishi knows her sister received Akimoto, but it's impossible for her to know the full scope of the N Network."

Watanabe Eiji heard this, slightly relaxed his breath, but the solemnity on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

He took a few deep breaths, forced himself to calm down, sat back in the chair, but his slightly trembling fingers exposed the stormy waves within his heart.

"Father," Watanabe Minami spoke, her voice equally heavy, "this matter — we, the Metropolitan Police Department, cannot handle it."

"I know!!! No need for you to remind me!" Watanabe Eiji waved his hand irritably, he of course understood this principle, and slammed his palm hard on the table: "We police organization, have no authority to directly investigate cabinet ministers and National Diet members! This is an iron law! Once we cross the line, we will immediately be labeled 'police intervention,' with no place to bury ourselves!"

"Moreover, if the contents inside are true, there is also a major problem!" Watanabe Eiji said sternly: "Just as you said, most of the women in here actually have some degree of voluntariness! After all, the N Network can bring them substantial income, and if we search halfway through, like Nagase Arisu suddenly waking up, publicly declaring she is voluntary and took money, what are we police organization to do? Inside and out, we are no longer human!"

"Muneyuki! You idiot, have you thought about these?!" Watanabe Eiji was truly angry.

"I have thought about them, Father-in-law!" Uesugi Muneyuki also said somewhat impatiently: "Didn't I say I would immediately expose this matter? I am not now specially calling you and Minami to jointly discuss how to handle this matter?"

Watanabe Eiji then relaxed his breath.

This son-in-law of mine is famously stubborn, I feared he would not know anything and just plan to expose it, then they would all be finished!

At least he also knows the seriousness of the problem, knows to discuss it with me and Minami!

After saying this, Watanabe Eiji glanced at the helpless daughter Minami, truly wanting to kiss his daughter.

Minami! You are really too useful!

Uesugi, this double-edged sword, you have always been the most reliable sword sheath!

The secret chamber fell into a brief silence. The enormous secret lay like a boulder on each person's heart.

"The only channel." Uesugi Muneyuki broke the silence, his voice clear and calm: "Only the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit."

Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit — that independent body under the police system, directly subordinate to the Ministry of Justice, possessing the authority to directly investigate high officials and major tycoons, the "strongest spear."

Watanabe Eiji's eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness.

He of course knew the Special Investigation Unit, that is Japan's only entity capable of directly confronting the cabinet and the National Diet, although cooperation with the Special Investigation Unit is no different than seeking skin from a tiger, but at present, this is the only legal and possibly viable way to safely detonate this "atomic bomb."

"Special Investigation Unit — Kirekawa Ryoichi — " Watanabe Eiji muttered to himself, his brain racing, weighing pros and cons and risks.

Handing over the evidence to the Special Investigation Unit means the Metropolitan Police Department's leadership in this matter will be greatly weakened, and merit may also be divided, but simultaneously it will transfer the greatest political risk outwards.

"Father," Watanabe Minami looked toward her father, eyes firm: "We must make a choice, whether to feign ignorance, or — "

Watanabe Eiji's gaze swept again over the computer storing the "atomic bomb," a flicker of struggle crossed his face, and he remained unable to speak for a long time.

"Father-in-law, I ask you a question." Uesugi Muneyuki knew Watanabe Eiji's hesitation, he thought for a moment, and asked softly: "Are you ultimately a bureaucrat who passed the national first-class civil servant examination through the career track, or — "

" — " Upon hearing Uesugi Muneyuki's words, Minami seemed to have an epiphany, she immediately looked toward her father, her eyes alternating between bright and dark.

Watanabe Eiji continued to remain silent, he first looked at Uesugi Muneyuki, then toward his daughter, and finally directed his gaze toward the computer screen.

Those familiar names, those familiar faces, and one after another woman captured on film, among whom not a few were still blossoming girls.

He recalled many things.

The joy of passing the national first-class civil servant examination, the pride when donning the police insignia, the courage of personally leading a team to the dock for a gunfight with violent groups, the loss and unwillingness in the Toshima Ward Massacre Case where the culprit could not be found, and the joy after many years when the long-held wish was finally fulfilled, the contentment upon becoming Superintendent General and the satisfaction of a smooth official career these past years.

The scenes before his eyes flashed like a revolving lantern, ultimately transforming into a kind of desperate resolve to burn one's boats.

Watanabe Eiji looked toward Uesugi Muneyuki, a trace of offended thin anger on his face: "What are you saying? Muneyuki, I am a police officer!"

"I, Watanabe Eiji, before becoming Superintendent General, before the career track, before receiving the national ninth-grade salary, I am first and foremost a police officer!!!"

7

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