Chapter 64: The Legendary Newbie Forensic Scientist Uesugi!

Uesugi Muneyuki and Shimakawa Ren exchanged contact information, and the fiancé shed a few crocodile tears; it was hard to tell how much of his sentiment—"If I had known earlier that Hironaka Mariko was so kind and gentle, I would have lived a good life with her"—was genuine.

But from the perspective of the Wisdom King of Passion, at that very moment, the fiancé was indeed grieving the death of his fiancée.

Shimakawa Ren likely did not know that he himself had skirted the gates of hell.

A portion of his deceased fiancée's resentment had also been coiled around him, and it was only after confirming from the fiancé's attitude that he was unrelated to the matter and was also grieving her death that she stopped the spread of the Cursed Grudge.

【He's actually a decent guy.】 Hironaka Mariko evaluated him thus.

【Among Minato Ward Boys, he's considered to have a conscience.】 Uesugi Muneyuki agreed.

【Hah, a Minato Ward Boy and a man of the Peerage really do get along; it's just like Echigoya and the Edo Period magistrates, filled with dirty dealings between them.】 Hironaka Mariko said with disdain: 【The sponge cake in the gift box is probably made entirely of gold, right?】

Uesugi Muneyuki chuckled upon hearing this.

This is a famous trope in Japanese culture, referring to how, during the Edo Period, local feudal retainers seeking employment in Edo would often gift Echigoya pastries to the Shogunate's magistrates and senior councilors. There were two ways to bribe them: one was to hide gold coins and silver beans inside the pastry box, and the second was to simply gift extremely expensive pastries.

Yes, in the Edo Period, sugar was still a very expensive commodity; a pastry box filled with sugar alone had a value not inferior to gold and silver. The high-quality sweet bean jelly and sponge cake produced by Echigoya were themselves very valuable, worth their weight in gold, so sending just that was enough.

Understand this: Japan was poor in natural resources.

The Edo Shogunate tacitly approved of, or even encouraged, this behavior, which is why it appears in various TV dramas and games: a great merchant named Echigoya presents a pastry box to a high-ranking Shogunate official, and the official smirks and says, "Boss Echigoya, you really are wicked."

"Not at all, not at all, how could I compare to you, my lord?" Then the two would laugh with a wink, signaling that the bribery was complete.

Uesugi Muneyuki dared say that if he told this trope to Ikeda Erena, she definitely wouldn't understand what it meant.

【So, Fukushima Sozaburo and Shimakawa Ren are both dealt with, but what about President Kameyama?】 Uesugi Muneyuki asked: 【Actually, looking at it in hindsight, Kameyama is the biggest beneficiary and the source of everything, right?】

【Kameyama? He is indeed a very special guy.】 Hironaka Mariko didn't seem to hold much emotion toward this president: 【This big toad—if you input what he wants, such as women, ratings, or performance, he can spit out resources, hosting positions, and sponsored programs without hesitation.】

【If you input failure, dereliction of duty, or errors, he can also spit out cancellations, demotions, and dismissals without hesitation.】

【He has no personal likes or dislikes, no emotional fluctuations, and this old toad actually keeps his word. I promised to accompany him for a while before, and he really did give me a news hosting position; he's more honest than those board directors, managing directors, and department directors at the station.】

The news anchor evaluated this Fuji TV president without any reservations.

【Your fiancé, Mr. Shimakawa, would be sad if he heard this!】 Uesugi Muneyuki teased.

【Forget it, my husband-to-be clearly has several hostess mistresses in Ginza.】 Hironaka Mariko sneered: 【Why don't you kill him and let him come keep me company?】

【What kind of ghost marriage is that.】 Uesugi Muneyuki was speechless: 【Murder is against the law, especially since Shimakawa had nothing to do with your death.】

【Don't talk about the law to the dead; the law cannot punish us, so those legal codes are just our menu.】 Hironaka Mariko had been tossing and turning for half the night, and her resentment had dissipated quite a bit. After obtaining a series of answers, she finally stopped her activities for the time being.

It seemed she did not intend to take revenge on President Kameyama.

Yet President Kameyama was actually the mastermind and the biggest beneficiary of this incident, although he probably hadn't expected Hironaka Mariko to go tell Fukushima Sozaburo that he intended to dismiss all temporary employees.

By the time Uesugi Muneyuki and Shimakawa Ren finished talking and returned to the Fuji TV lobby, it was already nearly three in the morning.

At this time, inside the entire Fuji TV building, the Metropolitan Police Department had basically cleared out, except for a small number of police officers left at the scene to handle the aftermath; even the culprit had been taken away by the Metropolitan Police Department.

The high-level executives of Fuji TV were all present, and they were in a state of extreme excitement, discussing various topics. President Kameyama was among them; the moment this Fuji TV president saw Uesugi Muneyuki, it was as if he had seen his own father, and he gripped Uesugi Muneyuki's hand tightly: "Uesugi-kun! You truly are the benefactor of our Fuji TV!"

A crowd of Fuji TV executives also surrounded them, expressing their gratitude.

For some reason, when Uesugi Muneyuki saw President Kameyama's face, he felt it looked even more like a toad, and the thought that this guy was the actual mastermind made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

But since Hironaka Mariko had no thoughts of revenge, there was no need for him to overstep his bounds.

"It was just part of the job." Uesugi Muneyuki squeezed out a smile.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Fuji TV side and saying some empty words, promising to come back to Fuji TV to record a special program later (President Kameyama emphasized that he would definitely invite Senior Mai back again), Uesugi Muneyuki found Ikeda Erena, who was waiting for him.

The tall beauty was already drowsy, but upon seeing Uesugi Muneyuki arrive, she perked up and complained: "Why so long? What were you doing?"

"In short, I encountered some things, and then, it's finally over." Uesugi Muneyuki took the initiative to reach out and pull the tall beauty up from her seat: "Are you ready to become famous? Master Erena?"

"Huh?"

Although the Metropolitan Police Department had fully withdrawn, they had left Police Inspector Hayata of Akasaka Station to prepare vehicles to take Uesugi Muneyuki and Ikeda Erena home. Moreover, because of their contributions, the Metropolitan Police Department specifically notified them that each would receive three days of paid leave.

Uesugi Muneyuki naturally had no reason to disagree, and Ikeda Erena, thinking about being able to take time off with Uesugi Muneyuki, naturally expressed her acceptance.

The Odaiba Building at night finally turned quiet; the stars in the distance witnessed the turbulent waves of this night, and also witnessed the return to silence, with only the starlight remaining unchanged.

The stars were aligned, but the monstrous waves stirred up by this building-sealing incident had not yet ceased.

After returning to his apartment, Uesugi Muneyuki picked up his phone while running hot water for a bath.

There was a text message on the phone from Senior Shirakawa Mai.

"The president was urging me so much I had no choice, so I left first, Junior-kun. Looking forward to our next collaboration O(∩_∩)O~"

The message was sent between one and two in the morning.

Uesugi Muneyuki felt it was strange; he vaguely remembered that before Hironaka Mariko proposed staying behind, Senior Mai seemed to still be at the scene, but in the time it took him to go out and chat with Shimakawa, Senior Mai had left.

If she wanted to leave, she should have left after her Live Broadcast hosting duties were finished.

If one considered that she had already stayed for more than two hours after hosting, it wouldn't have hurt to stay a little longer—at least to say goodbye, right?

However, Uesugi Muneyuki didn't overthink it; he knew his place—he wasn't yet qualified to have an equal conversation with Senior Mai.

It was time to think about what to do next.

After this incident, his relationship with the Metropolitan Police Department had already made a breakthrough. By acting first and reporting later, the Metropolitan Police Department not only had to acknowledge his achievements but also had to supplement the official cooperation procedures for him.

Soaking in the hot water, looking at the patterns on the wall tiles and feeling the misty steam drift past his ears, the man closed his eyes.

When the value you demonstrate far exceeds the trouble you cause, a few small problems can be tolerated.

That stupid woman Ikeda was stupid precisely because of this.

Thinking of Ikeda Erena, Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

Yes, Shimakawa was right; we are essentially the same kind of people.

This woman, Ikeda Erena, was a bit too "heavy"; she was simply not an ideal marriage candidate. If she were proactive, Uesugi Muneyuki wouldn't mind if something happened, but if he had to seriously consider dating, Uesugi Muneyuki would absolutely not consider dating Ikeda Erena with marriage as a prerequisite.

Touching a female Public Servant was already very troublesome, to say the least!

Therefore, in his relationship with Ikeda, Uesugi Muneyuki had always been very restrained, trying his best to keep them in a working relationship, and in private, trying his best to keep them in a master-apprentice and friend relationship. Occasional physical contact was unavoidable; that was just how it was.

Uesugi Muneyuki had also said beforehand: do not bring work into life, and do not bring life into work.

If the two of them started dating, he had no idea how they would maintain their current Partner relationship. Erena was the stubborn type, and unfortunately, Uesugi Muneyuki's own temper was also quite hard. That they could get along usually was the result of mutual concessions—that is, Uesugi Muneyuki was very good at accommodating her, soothing her, and pleasing her, while Erena also restrained her temper time and time again and taught him martial arts.

But if they were truly dating, it would be different; two people transitioning into a romantic relationship must enter each other's private lives—that scene would simply be Mars colliding with Earth.

Everyone move aside, it's going to explode!

To say Uesugi Muneyuki had absolutely no interest in this sunny, hot, yet clumsy tall beauty would also be a lie.

Let nature take its course!

Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself; in the future, he would certainly have to shift the focus of his career to the Metropolitan Police Department.

It is possible for Ikeda Erena to be transferred to the Metropolitan Police Department, but it is unlikely that the Metropolitan Police Department would transfer Ikeda Erena there.

The man vaguely guessed it; just as he was thinking about the relationship between the two, Ikeda Erena was also thinking about what happened between her and Uesugi Muneyuki today.

Compared to Uesugi Muneyuki's high-end student apartment, the ordinary apartment where Ikeda Erena lived was much cheaper and more crude; not only were the facilities old, but the bathroom in the room was also very small, and there was no bathtub, only a shower.

Just after returning to the room, Ikeda Erena couldn't wait to take off the black silk stockings on her legs, and then turned on the water heater.

Damn it, ever since she met Uesugi Muneyuki, the number of silk stockings at home seemed to be increasing! She clearly hated wearing silk stockings!

Ikeda Erena casually threw the two pairs of silk stockings into the laundry basket, cursing as she unbuckled the belt of her police uniform skirt, took off her jacket and hung it on a hanger, and then reached out to undo the buttons of her shirt.

"Doom~" The moment the second button was undone, a plump mass popped right out, as if a long-suppressed prisoner had finally waited for a moment of release; the joy of pressure relief flooded Erena's nerves, making her both shy and annoyed.

She instinctively recalled what happened at that time.

Uesugi hugged her.

At the thought of that scene, Ikeda Erena almost instinctively grabbed the bra she had taken off and threw it fiercely into the trash can, with such force that it made the trash can shake back and forth incessantly!

This bastard! Constantly, endlessly taking advantage of me!

Criticizing me, I endured it; saying weird things, I endured it; mocking me, I endured it; peeking at me, I also endured it; even letting me wear silk stockings, I wore them!

And yet this bastard actually laid hands on me?!

And he even...

Damn Uesugi! Damn partner! Do you know that if it weren't for you, if it had been someone else, I would have long since broken their kidneys and liver and snapped their spine!

Don't underestimate me! Ikeda Erena waved her fist fiercely in the darkness, fighting wits and courage against the air.

After venting a belly full of anger, the tall beauty fell silent again.

Recalling the situation at that time again, she seemed to have to admit that if Uesugi Muneyuki hadn't held her, if she had really swung her fist down, things would have been troublesome.

Moreover, when she recalled the scene at that time, a wisp of crimson slowly spread from her neck toward her face; her beautiful face and miraculously spectacular figure were gradually stained with a blush, and the tall beauty made a few movements with a strange expression.

Did the back of his hand brush here? Or here?

"Hmm..." Trying to explore herself for a while, Ikeda Erena's face turned even redder.

She hesitated for a long while, slowly bent down again, picked the bra up from the trash can, took a deep breath, and solemnly warned the air: "I'll spare you this time!"

After saying that, she casually threw the bra into the washing machine.

Erena reconciled with herself, her mood emerged from the haze, and clutching her chest with both hands, she recalled the time of this whole day, feeling that she had never had such a turbulent and brilliant experience in her life, especially having the opportunity to show off her Judo skills in front of Uesugi Muneyuki and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Thinking of this, Ikeda Erena immediately took out her phone and tried to search for the Fuji TV Live Broadcast on the internet.

Did they film me tonight?

A brilliant smile returned to Ikeda Erena's face; she saw the front-page headlines.

"Truth Revealed Behind the Fuji TV Building Lockdown! Legendary Rookie Forensic Pathologist Uesugi Muneyuki Proves It on the Scene!"

"Missing Anchorwoman Hironaka Mariko Confirmed Dead! The Body Was Actually Hidden Here?"

"Metropolitan Police Department Announces a Press Conference Will Be Held Tomorrow to Demonstrate the Entire Case Process"

"Fuji TV Live Broadcast Reaches Highest Rating of 46.8%, Is the Status of Kohaku Uta Gassen at Risk?"

"Murder Case Used as Material, Live Broadcast Sparks Controversy, Experts Evaluate"

"Beautiful Policewoman Shows Legendary Judo Skill Arashi no Yama, Assisting the Metropolitan Police Department in Catching the Criminal!"

Ikeda Erena flipped and flipped, and soon found the footage with her in it; just a casual flip, and there were thousands of comments below.

Only then did she understand how huge the impact of the Odaiba Building lockdown was, and what Uesugi Muneyuki really meant when he told her to be prepared for fame.

Especially since Judo experts had already appeared in the middle of the night to give their testimony, the internet was full of exclamations that such a master was actually hidden in the Metropolitan Police Department?

People shifted their attention from her figure, chest, and mixed-race face to her abilities for the first time.

Flowers may bloom again, but a person never returns to youth; if one is gold, one will shine wherever they are.

Seeing the end, Ikeda pressed her phone against her chest; she didn't know when it started, but the scenery before her eyes became blurry.

That night, she had no sleepiness at all and kept scrolling through various news reports until dawn.

After the Fuji TV Case ends, there will be a slight break, and then it will be the next case.

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(End of this chapter)