Chapter 823: Remarried Widow!

"Matsuo Masasada, graduated from Waseda University School of Commerce, worked eight years at IBM Japan, switched to Cisco four years ago, promoted to head of Business Marketing last year." In the conference room, Okada Masayoshi tapped the whiteboard, addressing the House of Representatives.

The Special Mission Division members below all nodded.

Public Security Police move fast; this virtual persona's LinkedIn page was meticulously crafted — work history, educational background, skill certifications all complete, the photo an AI-generated portrait of a middle-aged man — not handsome, not ugly, just an ordinary, reliable, successful forty-two-year-old German-Japanese mixed-blood man.

Though his looks aren't the most handsome, he is after all blond-haired, blue-eyed, pure Aryan bloodline, naturally possessing a unique mixed-race charm; Deep Sea Phantom Guest Sakuma Kaito didn't say it for nothing — Japanese women go for this type, before such white men they're like Argentine steak, cheap, yet they flock to it.

And to a certain extent, since the post-WWII nation-state, especially the modern concept of one nation one people, collapsed, the International Communist Left-wing Movement including Traditional Leftists all believe choosing who to marry, choosing who to sleep with, is everyone's freedom, indeed no right to interfere with others' choices — you can't say marrying a blonde foreign woman is bringing glory to the country, marrying a white-skinned pig is Argentine steak, right?

Then arrange for this guy to be currently stationed alone in Germany on assignment for half a year.

Designed this way, any killer trying to verify this person's existence would discover a complete, not-easily-debunked career trajectory; they also created a virtual social media account for Matsuo Masasada, backdated posts from three months ago — mostly reposting business news and tech trends, occasionally a photo or two dining at upscale restaurants, or candid shots from business trips to Singapore, HK; the follow list includes real Cisco Employees and Partners, carefully selected "cover" by the Information Group through personal networks — if someone clicks their pages, they'd find they indeed follow "Matsuo Masasada," and have since months ago.

For Yamada Nanase, they didn't need much fabrication work.

Her original account has been used since six or seven years ago, earliest posts traceable to her high school graduation trip.

Those posts have young her selfies in front of Osaka Universal Studios, romance diaries from when she dated Yamada Yuki, photo of the first curry rice she made as a newlywed, a half-year blank after her husband died in the line of duty, then the "Single Female Police Clerical Staff" daily life after she resumed posting.

This historical data, no one can forge.

The Information Group created a new Instagram Account for her, username "shiori_newlife_0525". Starting today, this account will gradually show her "new life" — gifts from her new husband, new home renovation, new car interior, newly made exquisite dishes. All photos shot under professional Photographer guidance — not too professional, must look like an ordinary housewife's phone photos, but composition and lighting must just-right convey an "my home is expensive" feeling.

The first post went out that very evening.

A simple photo — a single hand holding a glass of red wine, background a genuine leather sofa that looks expensive, caption only three characters: "Shoshinji ban."

Followed by a moon emoji.

That hand is Yamada Nanase's hand.

She applied new nail polish, mountain peanut color, understated but textured. Twenty-three shots taken before one passed; every shot Yamada Nanase pulled her hand back, murmuring "I think my hand looks bad," the Photographer — a young female detective borrowed from Public Relations Division — patiently adjusted angle and lighting again and again, finally producing a photo even Namita Erika nodded at.

Namita Erika is Namita Hiro's daughter, dancer, pianist, singer, touring with a Finnish song-and-dance troupe in Japan, has long-term Germany living experience and multiple study-abroad stints in Germany; with her guidance, many Germany life details and habits — like bread must be put in a machine and sawed slice by slice — all match up.

"Not bad." Namita Erika stood aside, glanced, tone flat but lip corners slightly raised: "Looks just like the hand of a happy housewife kept by a rich husband."

Yamada Nanase didn't know if this was praise or an insult, could only smile awkwardly.

Just as Metropolitan Police Department frantically built this bait persona, outside public opinion was fermenting at an out-of-control speed. Kawaguchi City and Gunma Prefecture mass murder cases occurred consecutively, seven lives' weight pressing on every Japanese heart.

TV news daily rolling latest investigation progress — of course no substantive progress to air, so most aired are Expert analyses and Victim Family weeping.

Newspaper front pages occupied for a straight week by keywords "Serial Mass Murder Cases," "Tsū) Ma," "Female Victims."

On social media, topic heat stays high, new trending searches every day, thousands of comments under every news piece.

Besides worried and confident-of-solving remarks, another group's remarks are quite eye-catching.

"Honestly, those housewives posting daily what hubby bought, what scores kids got, isn't that just showing off? If I were unhappy, seeing this stuff I'd want to kill too. Not saying killer's right, but think yourselves — is this showing off problematic?" A tweet with 20,000+ likes. Poster's profile full of "Independent Woman," "Anti-Marriage," "Self-Reliant Women Most Beautiful" tags, but pinned post a paid subscription link, inside a set of sheer underwear photos, monthly fee 1980 yen.

"Victims deserve sympathy, but honestly, I don't sympathize with women who 'hubby supports me so I do nothing.' We who started from zero and built ourselves, work ten-plus hours daily, every penny earned is our blood-sweat money. Them? Marry a good husband, lie back and get big house, nice car, upscale dining. Why?"

Under this comment someone replied: "Then you envy them?"

Poster didn't reply.

Another YouTuber with 300k followers posted a video titled "On Serial Mass Murder Cases, I Want to Say a Few Sentences." In video she first tearfully condemned killer's cruelty, then shifted to victims' social media: "I checked Victim Matsumoto Yumi's INS, she really loves showing off. Though this isn't why she was killed, I feel, in this society, being low-key can't be wrong, right? You post yourself looking so well-off, isn't that just to make others envy? But have you thought, some people seeing this feel awful?"

Top-liked comment under video: "Sister's right, I also think those housewives love showing off too much."

Second-highest liked comment: "Sister, didn't you post new LV bag last month? Does that count as showing off?" This comment deleted by author.

Yamada Nanase knows none of this. She sits in the Special Mission Division's temporarily assigned small cubicle, phone in hand, watching her "Shoshinji ban" post already has 100+ likes and 40+ comments.

【@yuuhui: Sister, such pretty hands! What nail polish brand?】

【@Magic Cat Cat King Chichi: New home? The sofa looks so high-end!】

【@Xiao Cang Chiyo w: Sister remarried? Congrats congrats!】

【@Bite a Bunny Girl: Envious to death, I also want to be kept by a rich husband...】

【@Xuan Xiao Senior Sister: Sister, how did you meet your foreign husband? Can you introduce me?】

【@Shimizu Yoshino: From the photo, Sister seems to have worked at the Metropolitan Police before? Resigned after marriage?】

【@Natsuko Natsuko: Sister, what hair oil do you use?】

Yamada Nanase scrolled casually; below were also a pile of comments from Sisters like @Rou Kou Re Re Zi @Walk Sway zly @Yun Xi Xi @Bu Ding Da Fa @Suzuki Mei Ai @Shui Miao aqua @Machi Ma Ji, and many had DM'd her too.

Reading these comments, her face reddened, ears reddened, even hand holding phone trembling slightly.

She'd never received this many comments, never been noticed by this many people at once.

These people don't know who she is, don't know her past, don't know how her husband died, don't know she serves tea, copies documents, is pitied daily in Clerical Section.

They only saw that hand with mountain peanut color nail polish, that expensive-looking sofa, that good-looking red wine, and that moon emoji representing "happiness."

Ozawa Sumiko walked past behind her, glanced down at phone screen, lip corners slightly raised.

"You'll get used to it." She said, voice not loud but steady: "From now on, you're not Yamada Nanase. You're a newlywed housewife married to a 15-million-yen-annual-income elite, living in some detached luxury house in Wuyu County, daily life just cooking, taking photos, posting INS, making everyone envy you."

She leaned down, added in Yamada Nanase's ear, voice low enough only two could hear: "Make that woman hiding behind the ethernet cable hate you so much she wants to kill you."

Yamada Nanase's fingers suddenly tightened, phone nearly slipped.

She raised her head, looked into Ozawa Sumiko's eyes — those eyes held no malice, no mockery, only a calm, near-ruthless prediction of what's about to happen.

She swallowed, gripped phone tighter, fingertips typed a reply on screen: "Thanks, new life just starting, I'll do my best."

She joined quite a few Housewife Association groups, clicked through all of them, then... mass sent.

Like this, a remarried widow's image gradually sharpened.

Right at this time, Uesugi Muneyuki and others entered: "Yamada, come with us."

"Your Saitama residence, we've already coordinated."

Yamada Nanase nodded slightly, glanced weakly at Uesugi Muneyuki, pressed lips together, timidly replied "Okay."

Bait Plan, officially begins!