Chapter 688

In the 1970s and early 1980s in Japan, female idols were once an almost sacred presence, compared to now where one only considers becoming an idol if they cannot sing, dance, or act; back then, one had to be able to sing, dance, act, and have good looks and temperament to even consider becoming an idol.

The idols of that time in Japan were people like Yamaguchi Momoe, Matsuda Seiko, and Nakamori Akina—her influence was naturally immense and needs no further explanation. Yamaguchi Momoe debuted at 13 and retired at 21, leaving countless people with the most beautiful and brilliant memories; because she retired at her peak, it led to endless debates about her strength and various "what ifs," and the few relatively low periods in between, or times that weren't too successful for her, were naturally forgotten. Matsuda Seiko represented an entire era and actually surpassed Yamaguchi Momoe's influence during some periods, but because she later married and continued working in the entertainment industry as a "mama idol," the overseas country actually doesn't have a particularly deep impression of Matsuda Seiko—she seems to have always been seen as a middle-aged woman.

Nakamori Akina, on the other hand, is another extreme—she wasn't actually among the most popular idols, having always stayed at a non-top-tier first-rate level, but Nakamori Akina has a special "golden screen" meme, namely her past with the infamous scumbag Kondo Masahiko, who in turn had a foreign romance with Anita Mui, and as Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment spread inland, this gave Nakamori Akina a strong presence; on the famous website "Hou Dian," her popularity is the same as Hanae Izumi's, both serving as a kind of savior symbol that remains high.

At that time, the Japanese had a famous theory: that idols don't defecate, or if they do, it's definitely strawberry-flavored. Quite similar, isn't it?

The change in era came in the mid-1980s, when Akimoto Yasushi created the "AKB48," forming female idols; at the time, Akimoto Yasushi designed a TV program that recruited female idols via phone calls. This group spun off from Fuji Television's variety show "Twilight Meow Meow," and through a low-barrier, high-frequency rotation of female high school students, it quickly drew attention. Moreover, the program allowed direct phone communication with idols. In 1986, at its peak, related works accumulated 30 number-one singles on the Oricon chart, with 38 weeks at the top. From this were selected super idols like Shinoda Mariko and Kuninaka Sayo, as well as the famous national male god Kimura Takuya's wife, Kudo Shizuka, who also came from this program.

However, the overly lenient requirements also led to mixed quality—good ones were very good, bad ones were very bad—and in a very short time, too many female idols were produced, creating a kind of idol fatigue, and feelings of disgust began to arise.

Secondly, focusing only on quantity naturally made it hard to guarantee quality; although "amateur idols" could bring a brief sense of novelty, over time, the transcendent status originally held by "idols" kept declining, leading to the desire to watch idols or even become one gradually fading, and moreover, a large amount of black material, idols privately contacting fans—these things destroyed public trust.

Finally, Akimoto Yasushi himself married one of these teenage idols, Takai Mami; the two had already been in private contact countless times, and Takai Mami's parents eventually sued Akimoto Yasushi. To avoid prison, Akimoto Yasushi settled out of court and chose to marry her to end the trial.

It is precisely because of this that the later 48 and 46 groups introduced the concept of "graduation"—that is, when one reaches a sufficient age and the youth, vitality, and dreams on a girl's body have been nearly exhausted, she is arranged to graduate, "outputting talent" to the entertainment industry, and then a fresh batch of tender new girls is brought in, cycling endlessly.

This is what is called the "execution," "the execution line has arrived."

"Actually, Mayu Watanabe and Miki Nishino are both pretty close to the execution line—Mayu Watanabe has had several years of failed general elections and various ground-based programs, and has basically lost all her value." Date Nagamune explained: "Miki Nishino is the same—doomed to have no future as an idol... she should be right on the edge of graduation."

"So the question is, why did it die not Mayu Watanabe, but the chicken feeder?" Uesugi Muneyuki frowned.

"Greek yogurt—anyway, as long as it's not the Second Young Lady." Date Nagamune muttered.

"Heh heh, but what if your Second Young Lady also hits the execution line?" Uesugi Muneyuki suddenly laughed: "She's also in her early twenties, right? Not young anymore." "That's great!" Date Nagamune perked up: "Then if she gets executed, wouldn't it just be my turn?"

Uesugi Muneyuki stared blankly, as if realizing this logic!

After agreeing to Police Inspector Shānzhōng Jìngbù's request to immediately go to the autopsy scene, one hour later, Uesugi Muneyuki wore a mask and gloves, standing at the toilet scene of the Yamagata North Rest Area.

Forensic Pathologist Mikawa Isei accompanied him from the side, her eyes carrying scrutiny and curiosity.

This is the legendary forensic doctor from the tales?

Uesugi Muneyuki also glanced at Forensic Pathologist Mikawa Isei a second time, thinking: female forensic doctor, truly rare!

However, Uesugi Muneyuki soon demanded an absolutely quiet, undisturbed space, he had Forensic Pathologist Mikawa Isei and Date Nagamune temporarily leave the room, and asked Police Inspector Shānzhōng Jìngbù to wait outside the door.

Only he remained in the room.

Uesugi Muneyuki did not immediately begin the autopsy; he walked to the window, pulled open a slit in the curtain, letting the pale winter morning light seep into the room. He closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and deep in his consciousness, the "gate" that had been faintly visible since his return from the High Plain of Heaven was slowly pushed open.

The experience of conversing with divine ancestors seemed to strengthen his innate gift of resonating with the lingering consciousness of the deceased—a trait he usually attributes to high empathy and subconscious information integration, which he calls "forensic intuition"—but now he realizes, this may have touched a more fundamental realm.

Kenshin Kō, bestow upon me power!!

He focused his spirit, in his mind sketching out Nishino Miki's name, age, and the fleeting glimpse he'd just had—the photo of her swollen yet still youthful face—and a chill spread, not from the room's low temperature, but from some kind of connection on the level of consciousness.

Nishino Miki's soul gave a very vague response.

However, she also doesn't know exactly what happened, nor does she know how she died.

"What was your last clear memory? Where was it? What did it feel like?"

"... Behind the shrine...... a small path...... the streetlights were far away...... my mind was in chaos, I wanted to walk...... there was a voice in my head...... buzzing...... no, not a voice, but a 'thought'......'go there','"there's something important'......"...... that wasn't my thought......"......"Before losing self-awareness, what was the last thing you saw, or the last feeling you had?"

Fragments of blurred images and sensations surged: "...... black...... very black...... there were streetlights, but they didn't reach...... cold...... my feet stepped on snow and dry leaves...... rustling...... then...... the back of my neck hurt a lot...... was I hit by something? Or was I choked?...... couldn't breathe...... there was a smell...... iron rust...... and...... the smell of old paper and dust...... very strong......"

"Did you touch the person who inflicted violence on you? Or, did their body have any features you 'felt,' even if you didn't see them?"

A painful sense of resistance came through, but some fragmented tactile information remained: "...... great strength...... rough hands...... like tree bark...... there was...... a gritty feeling in the nail folds...... the fabric of the clothes was very hard, rubbing against the skin...... not an ordinary jacket, like...... canvas? Or very old work clothes...... he was very heavy...... breathing sounds...... very coarse, but with a bit...... not quite right, not like healthy breathing......"

"What did the tool he used to harm you 'feel' like? Or, when he was dealing with you, did he have any special 'procedure' or 'action' that left a deep impression?"

Extreme fear and pain shielding, but some distorted perceptions remained: "...... cold...... very heavy...... when he swung it down, there was wind...... not a knife...... bigger...... like an axe...... but the sound was wrong...... muffled...... then came dragging...... on the ground...... jolting...... then very bright...... tiles...... the smell of the toilet...... he...... he 'drew' something on me...... with...... with his fingers? Wet, cold...... he was muttering...... incomprehensible words......"

"Before all this happened, did you notice any abnormal person, or feel that someone else might have also suffered similar 'influence'?" Faint traces of connection appeared in the remnants of consciousness: "...... like Mayu...... Kawabe Mayu senpai...... she had also been a bit strange...... when resting, she'd zone out, saying she felt dizzy, wanted to go out for fresh air...... her agent said she had low blood sugar...... but I felt...... different...... and...... during filming, there was a staff member...... always watching us, eyes very strange...... not the eager look of fans, but...... observation, like looking at objects...... wearing glasses, not tall......"

Uesugi Muneyuki's pupils constricted slightly.

Kawabe Mayu???!!!