Chapter 708

As the case in Yamagata Prefecture gradually neared its conclusion and the Yamagata Prefectural Police Headquarters held a press conference on the third day after the incident, a news frenzy officially swept across all of Japan!

At the start of the New Year, the headlines of Japan's major media outlets and social media trends stirred up an earth-shattering storm over this suddenly erupted case! "Snowfield Locked-Room Tragedy — 17-Year-Old Idol Dismemberment Case, Deranged Vagrant Arrested!" Major newspapers used the largest bold black type on their front pages, accompanied by distant views of the Yamagata North Rest Area in the wind and snow, or blurry photos of the police escorting the suspect (face pixelated). Among them, the Asahi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, and Yomiuri Shimbun had already managed to obtain the suspect's data (he never intended to hide it in the first place), and the Asahi Shimbun, which skews relatively toward the older generation, immediately ran a wire story.

"52 Years Old — Laid Off, Divorced, Rejected by Welfare…… Then Demonized: Eto Tsuyoshi!"

Immediately following was a lengthy, detailed "Killer Profile" report.

Reporters dug deep into the past of "Eto Tsuyoshi," painting the image of a "failed middle-aged man" abandoned by the economic tide, discarded by his family, and coldly shut out by the social welfare system.

Between the lines, there was no shortage of "sympathy" and "deep reflection" on the scars of the era and the survival reality of those on society's margins.

Each generation has its own pain and collective memory; each generation has its own trauma. Eto Tsuyoshi's experience precisely and ruthlessly struck the middle-aged people who suffered massive losses during the Koizumi era due to employment liberalization, outsourcing, and economic policy adjustments that lowered the ratio of regular employees and caused industrial shifts.

Many middle-aged people could understand this pain. Especially since the Asahi Shimbun leans toward the elderly, that generation is now mostly in their forties and fifties, and they have also heard of the so-called "waterfront operations." For a moment, their anger exploded.

The Yamagata Prefectural Government had to come out and publicly apologize, stating that this kind of thing happened, they didn't want it either, and asking people not to generalize an individual case to every government employee. They stated that serving the people has always been their true colors, and added that the front-desk dispatched temporary worker who originally conducted "waterfront operations" against Eto Tsuyoshi has now resigned. Due to personal privacy and the police investigation, the specific name cannot be disclosed, and they asked for everyone's understanding.

Also fiercely besieging this situation was NHK. As everyone knows, NHK is the Japan Broadcasting Corporation; this TV station's reporting has always been relatively "left." They had previously produced content on "waterfront operations," but not targeting middle-aged unemployed men — instead fiercely criticizing the situation of "single mothers repeatedly encountering waterfront operations," and pointing out that "waterfront operations" often speak rudely to such single mothers and even encourage them to do streetwalking.

What NHK said was of course not wrong, but this immediately provoked severe dissatisfaction from countless middle-aged and elderly men.

"Progressivism only cares about women, children, and vulnerable groups; it doesn't give a damn about the midlife crisis of us middle-aged men who are the true social backbone creating wealth through work!"

"The only thing all these left-wing types ever do is take the fruits of our labor from the rice bowls of adult men and give them to others, then claim it as their own achievement!"

The massive dissatisfaction of middle-aged men was broken by the Sankei Shimbun, triggering another round of massive verbal brawls in Japanese society.

However, sympathy is sympathy; the crimes and moral condemnation were still unavoidable. In the eyes of conservative Japanese, this was ultimately an unforgivable sin.

"Sympathy cannot pardon the crime! This is the most severe crime!"

"If it were me, I'd rather commit seppuku than ever do such a thing!"

"No reason can justify bestial violence against an innocent girl!"

"'Used up'? One truly trembles at the demonic thoughts occupying his mind!"

TV news channels rolled out special features nonstop. The footage switched between the snowy scenery of Yonezawa, the rest area police cordon, the idol group's former glamorous footage, and simulated animations (with gory details hidden) or expert analysis charts. Hosts and commentators wore grave expressions, their language cautious yet highly incendiary. On social media, the topics #NishinoMiki##YamagataFemaleIdolToiletBizarreDeath##VagrantCrime# continued to dominate the rankings.

Emotions were complex and diverse:

Naturally the most numerous were fans' mourning, curses toward the killer, and doubts about the safety of the idol industry.

Whether it's 48 or 46, there have already been multiple incidents of fans harming idols. Besides Kawae Rina being slashed, in the earlier less strict days there were also cases of idols being stalked, and idol otaku using hands that had played airplanes to shake hands with idols. And the Yamaguchi Maho incident a year ago touched the nation's collective memory even more deeply.

"TMD, are Akimoto Yasushi's idols a victims' alliance?" a fan roared: "I spend 300,000 yen a year on idols! Can't security be done properly?"

"We've already lost our Kohaku appearance because of this! I don't know what else we'll have to lose if this happens again!" "Enough! Please, stop smearing us! We're victims too, the girls are victims too!" A fat otaku clenched his fists, saying before the camera like a little Geodude.

But the reaction of the Japanese public was not entirely the same.

The aftereffects of "Japan's Lost Thirty Years," middle-aged male unemployment and psychological crisis, the ethical issues of social welfare "waterfront operations," the dilemma of urban vagrant management, even extending to social issues like declining birthrate and lonely deaths.

Intellectuals and social critics wrote articles one after another, viewing this case as "a pathological section of an era."

What's up with this country? I ponder deeply; the system is rigid!

At the same time, numerous onlookers and curiosity-seekers stirred up another climax. On various anonymous sites, morbid curiosity about case details (especially the decapitation and body disposal methods), and various rumors of "dark forces behind the scenes," "copycat crime warnings," "cult sacrifices" quietly spread. Japan's social pressure is immense, so heavy grotesque enthusiasts often have some form of gathering, leaking all sorts of urban legends and conspiracy theories — though this exists everywhere in the world, it's just that Japanese people are comparatively more fond of it.

Simultaneously, the Yamagata Prefectural Police responsible for investigating this case also faced a certain degree of questioning.

Weekly Bunshun is back!

The investigation process, especially the police's two arrests of "wrong" suspects (obsessed otaku Kobayashi Takuya, extreme anti-fan Kuroki Nobuo) — though glossed over at the official press conference — could not escape the omnipresent Weekly Bunshun and "internal leaks." "Interrogation Violence? Two Wrongful Arrests That Nearly Caused a Miscarriage of Justice! Doubts on Yamagata Prefectural Police's Sloppy Investigation!" This was Weekly Bunshun's front-page headline, targeting the police's rough and "he's the one" investigative style.

The internet was full of mockery: "Police got the wrong guy again?" "Too much pressure so they just grabbed someone to take the fall?" "The level of local police, huh."

At this time, the National Police Agency also began PR: their PR mode already had rich experience.

"Metropolitan Police Department's 'Last Line of Defense' Chief Uesugi Muneyuki, Approaches the Real Culprit with Godlike Reasoning!"

"'Hand of God' On-Site Reveals the Madness — Forensic Doctor Uesugi's 'On-Site Re-Verification' Discovers Decisive Evidence!"

Fuji TV's "Hand of God" program immediately released some "exclusive behind-the-scenes footage" (carefully edited), further burnishing Uesugi Muneyuki's image of calm analysis, precise profiling, and overriding objections to point out contradictions in the first two suspects to near-divine levels.

The public's attention partially shifted from blaming police incompetence to awe and worship of this legendary forensic doctor's professional ability. "Uesugi Muneyuki, Kyukyu — na!" (Uesugi Muneyuki, did it again!) became a hot tag, diluting the doubts toward the police. Tokyo, Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters Building.

Criminal Investigation Department Chief Uchimura Kanji looked at the thick report and press clippings in his hand, his expression quite remarkable.

"Again…… it's him again?" Department Chief Uchimura rubbed his temples: "My Uesugi! Went to Yamagata to film a New Year's variety show, relax a bit, and the result…… directly helped the locals crack a major case that shook the whole country?"

Counselor Nakazono beside him smiled wryly: "What's this? The real-life version of 'Death God University Student'? A case breaks out wherever he goes? But speaking of it, his case-solving efficiency is undeniable, and public opinion has earned our Metropolitan Police Department plenty of face. It's just this 'cross-jurisdiction enforcement'…… nominally a bit delicate." "More than delicate," Department Chief Uchimura snorted coldly: "Yamagata Prefectural Police, at first they were desperate for our people to assist. Once the real culprit was caught and the public opinion focus concentrated on Uesugi, you saw their press conference — they couldn't wait to claim all the credit for themselves. As for our subsequent proposal for Metropolitan Police Department involvement, they brushed it off with perfunctory laughter, smoothly as anything. They want to borrow our knife, but fear we'll steal the limelight and dig up things they don't want investigated deeply!"

"After all, 'Case has errors, Uesugi Gu.'" Counselor Nakazono made a pun: "So, what do we do? Department Chief?" "For now…… don't wrangle with these local guys. Right now is the critical moment for upgrading the Special Mission Unit; everything must yield to that!" Department Chief Uchimura slapped the report: "Flat! Out!"

"Old! Ruts!"

At the same time, Special Mission Unit Office.

Special Mission Unit Management Officer Uesugi Minami, wearing the standard Metropolitan Police Department female officer winter indoor uniform, watched the TV praise reports on Uesugi Muneyuki and grumbled: "That guy Sōsetsu, even on vacation he doesn't let people rest easy."

But Minami Ojou-sama's mouth corners were clearly curving upward slightly. Being able to resolve it quickly at this time increased the odds of upgrading the Special Mission Unit by a few points. Ishihara Mikoto, in a heavy white coat, looked at the computer screen showing the official letter from Yamagata Prefectural Police thanking the Metropolitan Police Department for "guidance" but politely declining further "assistance," and sneered: "Hmph. Nothing but local protectionism, plus fear of trouble. Case solved, vagrant caught, for them it's over. The remaining muddy water, they don't want to touch."

Ikeda Erena was more concerned with the practical: "Uesugi's side is about wrapped up, so he should be coming back soon, right?"

"Yes, just about time to come back!" Minami Ojou-sama said a bit boredly: "And Date, Okada, Kai, Igarashi, them too. Geez, making us work overtime on New Year's. This overtime not only counts as holiday overtime with compensatory leave, but there's also double pay!" "Hell yeah!!!" Cheers erupted in the office.

Meanwhile, in the Superintendent General's Office at the Metropolitan Police Department, Watanabe Eiji was also watching the news. His expression was serious, not speaking. Uesugi Muneyuki cracking another major case was of course a good thing, but this case involved no politics and didn't occur within Tokyo's jurisdiction, so Watanabe Eiji's interest in it was limited. His attention was entirely focused on the "Metropolitan Police Department Criminal Investigation Department Special Mission Section Personnel Plan" before him.

Special Mission Section Chief: Police Superintendent Uesugi Minami.

Special Mission Section Management Officer: Police Inspector Okada Masayoshi.

Special Mission Section Criminal Investigation First Division Chief: Police Inspector Nango Yui. Special Mission Section Criminal Investigation Second Division Chief: Assistant Police Inspector Kai Toru.

None of these had any controversy.

But the following list caused Watanabe Eiji's brows to furrow slightly.

Special Mission Section Public Security Division Chief: Police Inspector Ozawa Orange. Police Inspector Tsugawa Shoichi……

Public Security has dispatched true elites.

And the District Prosecutors Office……

Special Mission Section District Prosecutors Division Chief: Public Prosecutor Kanjō Wataru of the Ministry of Justice Career Track.

This one is an absolute elite of the Ministry of Justice, and moreover the absolute confidant of the current Ministry of Justice Administrative Vice-Minister Kusakabe!

The shadow of a super-department was faintly emerging in Watanabe Eiji's operation.