Chapter 893: , that's how it is? Suffer through it!

PS: I've already started on the next big case. Today, I'm just doing a quick 4,600-word double update.

The attack came faster than expected, and it was also more organized than anticipated.

Weekly Bunshun devoted a full six pages to the story, with the headline: "Uesugi Munesuke of the Metropolitan Police Department's 'Lewd Demon' — Kashagi-jō Woman, Nine Actresses, 81b Project." Inside, they listed the names of Mai Shirakawa, Sakura Miyabi, Rei Tsutsumi, Nanase Yamada, and Miyabi Eto in a row, with arrows pointing all toward Uesugi Munesuke, accompanied by the caption: "What exactly is this 'her body, her dragon 5' thing?"

Weekly Bunshun didn't even bother to list Uesugi Munesuke's legitimate wife, Uesugi Minami, his officially recognized lover Ikeda Erena, or Saito Asuka — whom everyone knows about.

Weekly Bunshun is really petty; they promised they wouldn't directly confront Uesugi Munesuke again in the future.

But that doesn't mean I'm not reporting on it! I'm just not actively digging deeper, and besides, I didn't even mention Asuka's situation!

The headline in *Josei Jishin* was even more direct: "Uesugi Munesuke, Forced 'Pillow Business' at the Scene with Shita-ma? Five Actresses' Testimonies!" Yet the entire article contained not a single direct witness statement — everything was phrased as "anonymous sources revealed," "industry insiders leaked," or "according to insiders," using vague language. But that implication — "we have the dirt but can't fully release it" — carries more destructive power than a direct accusation. *Shukan Gendai* uncovered Nanase Yamada's personnel records showing her transfer from General Affairs to the Special Investigations Unit, bolded and boxed the phrase "personally selected by Uesugi Munesuke," and placed beside it a photo of Yamada at a celebration party, wearing an off-white dress and holding orange juice, with the caption: "Pure Office Lady Joins Shokujujin."

*Friday* continued digging into the Eto Miyabi angle, releasing more set photos one after another: Uesugi Munesuke and Eto Miyabi standing together watching surveillance monitors, talking in the hallway, brushing past each other at the lounge door.

Each photo shows a normal working distance, but each has been interpreted as "ambiguous."

Female commentators began appearing on television.

A regular commentator on a midday show, calling herself a "sociologist," said in a tone of feigned sorrow: "Mr. Uesugi Munesuke indeed has outstanding investigative abilities, but that cannot justify his moral laxity in private life!"

"A man who abuses his power and status to toy with women does not deserve to be called a 'hero'."

"He should publicly apologize, apologize to the women he has hurt, and apologize to society."

"He must resign from Tokyo University! Resign from the Metropolitan Police Department!"

Meanwhile, Chizuko Ueno posted over a dozen tweets in a row on Twitter. The first: "Uesugi Munesuke is not a genius — he's an offender." The second: "His talent is his own, but his actions are a societal cancer." The third: "If he were an ordinary person, he would have long been fired, arrested, and paraded through the streets. It's only because he's called a 'genius' that he's been tolerated this long. This is the deepest sickness in Japanese society."

"This is the male gaze!" "Japanese society is sick!"

The retweet count easily surpassed 100,000.

But public opinion did not turn out as one-sided as they had expected.

On social media, people were actually less interested in this matter than anticipated.

Some supported the accusers, some defended Uesugi Munesuke, and some found both sides annoying.

Netizen @FeifeizhouzhoudandankKK0WorldChampionThreePeat said directly: "What business is it of yours what a forensic pathologist does in private?" Another highly upvoted user, @FiveContinentsFourOceansLiberatorHeavenlyMandateSweat, commented representatively: "Uesugi Munesuke's private life is a mess — this isn't news, is it? Everyone knew when he was flirting with Shirakawa Mai on variety shows. But his investigative skills are real — he's dug up over 140 corpses. Who advocated for those disabled people? You commentators, besides flapping your lips on TV, what else do you actually do?"

@FLCNiko: "Come on, man — is Japan some Eastern Orthodox country now? Do you especially love putting things on a pedestal and moralizing every issue? This is Japan — maybe it's you who should get lost?"

@WeiboJiedushiBruceWei: "The value of a genius lies in what they create, not how they live privately. Uesugi Munesuke is not an idol, not a politician — he's a forensic pathologist. He doesn't need public approval to make a living. He lives off corpses."

@RomanianOuti: "Dazai Osamu had affairs, committed suicide, had affairs again, and still is a national writer. Mishima Yukio spent every day in the gym and still engaged in homosexuality — yet he's a literary master. Tanizaki Jun'ichiro's quirks would land him in prison for years today, yet he's still a Nobel nominee. So why, when it comes to Uesugi Munesuke, is it suddenly unacceptable? Because he's not a writer but a civil servant? Civil servants' private lives should indeed be scrutinized — but his wife isn't even upset, so why are you?"

@YuyueChan: "Should we despise him? No — we should envy him! Enough already — who still believes those little essays from back then? Sorry, the 'female fist tax' has already been collected for 70 years — now you're still pulling this nonsense, trying to fool who?"

@MonsterPipi: "I'm wondering what to eat tonight — ramen or pork cutlet rice? When is Season 2 of *God's Hand* coming out? My bull is already desperate with lust!"

@OneYuzuTea: "Banana, you're a papaya! So what? Suffer it! Ueno Chizuko, you really speak like a motorbike!" And Uesugi Munesuke himself completely ignored it — he just went about his daily duties: continuing Special Investigations Unit cases, performing autopsies, writing reports.

Obstructing official duties — especially given Uesugi Munesuke's position — meant no one dared to really try to stop him.

When the news reached Uesugi Minami, she was in the Special Investigations Unit office reviewing documents.

Ikeda Erena handed her her phone; the screen showed an article attacking Uesugi Munesuke, with the headline containing the words "Lewd Demon." Minami glanced at it, returned the phone to Erina, and kept reading her documents.

"Minami-chan, they really want you to get angry!" Erina said half-jokingly: "Better yet, just file for divorce!"

Minami didn't even lift her head: "What's there to get angry about? What they're saying isn't false."

"To be honest, it's true." Erina smiled, still looking somewhat pleased.

Minami lifted her head, looked at her, and curled the corner of her mouth into a faint, lonely smile: "It's true that Munesuke has been involved with many women — that's a fact. But those women were willing — not forced by him."

"Pillow business? Does he need pillow business??? Those women are lining up to throw themselves at him — he can't even stop them, let alone need to force anyone." She paused, then lowered her head to continue reading: "Besides, has he ever said 'I have good private morals'? No. He's always said, 'I'm great at solving cases.' Those people accuse him of poor private morals, but he doesn't care — because he's never used his private life as a selling point. You can't hit a target that doesn't exist. Put the phone down — don't disturb me while I read the report."

"Oh right, remember to tell Munesuke to find someone with a clean body — I'm afraid of catching something." Minami said casually.

The Special Investigations Unit burst into laughter.

"Follow and bless Forever Hina Tafie Meow! Bless Forever Hina Tafie, thanks Meow!" Rieko Maeda shouted along: "This one definitely won't get sick! Quick, recommend her to Uesugi!"

"Damn, I don't know what to say." Next to her, Nan Yuwei glanced sideways at the stuffed animal inside and said.

Only Date Chusou specifically apologized to Yamada Nanase, saying: "It's not me who hurt you — it's this society that hurt you!"

Yamada Nanase's cheeks flushed, and she softly said it was fine, that she knew this would happen, blamed no one, then unnaturally clenched her legs together.

Nanase thought: If this is fake, I wish it were real; if it's real, I wish it were fake.

Meanwhile, Souda Sosuke was in trouble.

At the same time, Souda Sosuke held a press conference at his team's training base.

He wore a black suit, tie perfectly knotted, expression heavy, eyes deeply shadowed — as if he hadn't slept well in days.

Behind him, the Seibu Lions' team logo hung on the wall, and on a nearby shelf sat several trophies.

The front rows were packed with reporters, camera lenses tightly focused on him.

He began with an opening statement, then performed a standard ninety-degree bow.

His voice was hoarse, his speech slow — as if reading from a script he'd written long ago: "This time, due to my lack of discretion, I have caused great trouble and harm to the team, my teammates, the fans, my family, and everyone who supports me. I hereby offer my deepest apologies to all of you." "Red bean paste private mosaic!"

The bow lasted a full ten seconds.

Flashlights blazed above his head like a whiteout, like a silent storm.

But the reporters had no intention of letting him go.

When the Q&A session began, the first question was: "May I ask what your relationship is with the person you cheated with?"

Souda Sosuke kept his head down, voice muffled: "I met her at a club in Ginza; we've been together for about half a year."

Second question: "Does your wife know about this?"

Silence.

Souda Sosuke's fingers tapped lightly twice on the table — a sign of nervousness: "She knows now. After the report came out, I already confessed to her. We're currently discussing separation."

The third question was even sharper: "May I ask what caused the infidelity? Was it due to stress from your conflict with Professor Uesugi Munesuke?"

This question felt like a needle, striking exactly where he most wanted to avoid being touched.

His fingers stopped tapping, clenched into a fist, then opened: "Maybe... possibly... perhaps... there's some truth to that."

He said, "My hitting performance in the first half of the year was indeed poor, and I was even compared to basketball player LeBron James by the outside world. I don't like constantly looking for fast breaks with defensive stares and constantly spreading my hands to ask the umpire for calls. As a professional baseball player, my self-esteem has been hurt. My wife performed excellently in the TV drama and was widely recognized, and I am naturally happy for her. But at the same time, I also felt something... I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it's that I feel I'm not good enough, that I don't deserve her. This pressure built up over time, and I just wanted to find an outlet."

"That outlet, I chose wrong. I know, choosing wrong is just wrong, with no excuse. I will take full responsibility and accept any disciplinary action from the team. Again, I apologize to everyone."

Souda Sosuke bowed again at a ninety-degree angle.

The following questions became even sharper: "Is it because Mr. Souda found an affair and thus gained sufficient motivation and positive feedback, so his batting statistics have recently improved?"

This question made Souda Sosuke's face turn the color of pig's liver; he found that saying yes seemed wrong, saying no also seemed wrong, and in the end, it was the coach who bailed him out, saying, "The player's excellent performance is the result of his hard training; please do not make malicious assumptions."

In the end, the press conference concluded hastily.

On social media, the reactions to him were even milder than those toward Uesugi Muneyuki.

Some said, "Being able to admit it is already not bad," some said, "Much better than those who stubbornly refuse to admit fault," some said, "His wife is too famous, so it's normal for him to feel pressure," and some said, "Infidelity is wrong, but he admitted his mistake; I hope he can get back on his feet."

Still others directed their criticism at Eto Miyabi: "The wife is too dominant, so the husband cheated." This comment was forwarded over ten thousand times, but the number of likes was far less than those speaking up for Eto Miyabi.

A female blogger wrote: "Does a wife's career success mean she's 'dominant'? Does a husband's infidelity mean it's the wife's fault for being 'too dominant'? What's the difference between this logic and 'she wore too little, so she was harassed'? Eto Miyabi did nothing wrong; she merely played her role well. The fault lies with those who can't control their own men and with the onlookers who make excuses for infidelity!"

This point actually gained recognition from many people.

Speaking relatively objectively, Japanese society is indeed stricter toward women; a typical example is that if a male entertainer is exposed for infidelity or adultery, as long as it does not involve indecent acts with minors or rape—criminal offenses—he generally gets a chance to be forgiven. But if a female entertainer touches this line, she almost never has a chance to make a successful comeback.

Eto Miyabi quickly gained sympathy from society at large; she immediately, without changing her expression, began discussing a separation agreement with her husband, and soon set her sights on the substantial annual income of over 100 million yen from her husband as a baseball star, since she has children and her husband is at fault, making it easy to walk away with a large sum in the agreement.

As for divorce? Not needed for now.

After all, who knows if Souda Sosuke might sign another big contract, and if, I say if, he were to make it to the US Major League like Ohtani Shohei, then rushing to divorce would be a loss?

After signing the agreement, Eto Miyabi, alone, wearing the widow's attire from *Hand of God*, sat in the guesthouse as sunlight streamed through the window and fell on her face; her smile was warm.

This is one snow, three eats!

Riding on Uesugi Muneyuki's fame, I succeeded in slowly cutting ties with my husband, exposed his affair, and secured at least half of his assets and my own freedom!

As for Souda's losses, does anyone care?

Who made you cheat?

Actually, Eto Miyabi was not unaware that her husband had a female public relations mistress in Ginza, and in traditional Japanese societal culture, such behavior would not be considered infidelity.

But some things, no matter how you weigh them—even if you put a thousand jin on the scale and still can't balance them—once truly exposed, trouble is inevitable! So what? Just endure it!

I have two swords, one the Sword of Benevolence, one the Sword of Righteousness. Souda, if you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for drawing the Unfeeling Sword!

On the last weekend of December, the winter rain in Kobe had just stopped, and the air still carried the salty fishy smell of seawater.

On the horizon toward Mount Rokko, a faint rainbow hung, barely visible unless you looked closely.

A standard urban apartment complex, a doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" came a clear, slightly playful mature female voice from the intercom.

"No! NoNavi! thisisteamspirit!" the visitor said in a low voice. "Hoo-hoo-hoo~ So it's you, you still dare to come?" The mature voice laughed mockingly, with a slight hint of reproach.

"It's me, Suzuka!" the visitor's voice came, neither hurried nor slow: "Tomorrow we play the European Buffalo; why can't I come?"

"I need your help!"

The walkie-talkie fell silent for two seconds.

Then the door lock clicked open with a "clank."

The elevator rose to the second floor; the door was half-open, only the corner light was on, casting a dim, yellowish glow. A mature woman about forty stood by the door, wearing a black velvet long dress, her hair loose and ends slightly curled. She wore no makeup, but the composure and steadiness unique to mature women in her brow and eyes could withstand any scrutiny.

In her hand she held a thin cigarette; the ember glowed red in the dim light, flickering like an ancient signal.

"Souda, you actually dare to come here." The woman laughed, somewhat mockingly, somewhat helplessly.

Souda Sosuke stood at the door, his sports backpack still slung over his shoulder, the hood of his dark gray sweatshirt not pulled down, his forehead hair somewhat disheveled from the sea wind.

"Since I'm here, I'm here." He said, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Also, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

The mature woman extinguished her cigarette, turned and walked inside, took two steps, then turned back to glance at him.

"Alright, come in."