Tokyo: Rabbit Police and Her Evil Partner

Chapter 493 Risk Hedging
Fushimi Shika and Satake Gen successfully reached a deal.

Before hanging up, Satake Gen offered a few more words of advice, suggesting that they could sign an employment agreement in advance and he could discuss adding benefits such as dental care and holiday travel.

It's clear that he genuinely wants to recruit Fushimi Shiro into his group.

Fushimi Shika neither agreed nor refused, stringing him along like a scumbag, vaguely saying, "Let me think about it some more, of course I'm still very interested," and "But then again, this isn't something I can decide alone"... After playing coy, he hung up the phone.

If nothing unexpected happens, Kujo Yui will definitely come across this news. As the person in charge of counter-terrorism, she has no choice but to do this deal. Satake Gen will probably be the first to contact her. How to operate, who to connect with, and how to avoid getting too involved... these are all things that Satake Gen should consider, and that is where his value as an intermediary lies.

In addition, other politicians are probably interested. Sunshine City and real estate developers might spend a lot of money. Sumiyoshi-kai and Yamaguchi-gumi are probably also interested. Eliminating terrorists would greatly boost the reputation of the yakuza, and they could then promote slogans such as "It has always been the yakuza that maintain order, and government officials are all incompetent."

There wasn't much left for Fushimi Shion to do. He left Uesugi Shion's company, met with Satake Gen's men, sealed the transfer phone in an evidence bag, and handed it to his contact, instructing him to deliver it to the 'buyer'.

And then that was the end of his business.

Uesugi Shion's strategic thinking is still at the level of a criminal. Unfortunately, Fushimi Shika understands the law and knows how to use the state apparatus. For Fushimi Shika, the law is the best weapon, and no monsters or demons are as effective as state violence.

There shouldn't be any danger to Hira Sakurako, since Uesugi Shion has already expressed his intention to release her. Even if he doesn't, he probably won't do anything to Sakurako... After all, Fushimi Shika has already proven with his actions that threats don't work on him.

With nothing else to do, Fushimi Shika decided to go home and wait for news.

He had already figured out how to cover up the disappearance of Ping Yingzi and Ajun. He wasn't afraid of meeting Yuan Yuzi and didn't need to use such a clumsy excuse as 'Ajun has diarrhea' anymore.

To be honest, he really did miss Minamoto no Tamako.

Although they had only been apart for a day in reality, it felt like they had been separated for a long time and had such a long dream. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I just don't know if Minamoto no Tamako is in the mood for that.

Fushimi Shika was unsure, since Minamoto no Tamako and Sakurako usually had a very good relationship and slept in the same bed every day. It was only after Uesugi Shion moved in that Hirai Sakurako started living in a separate room.

At the time, Minamoto no Tamako was trying to get the method to cure Nue poison from Uesugi Shion, and she was also trying to accommodate the mentally ill patient as much as possible.

Now it's all clear: the cure for Nue poison was a lie, that Shika was just exploiting her sympathy; Uesugi Shion's mental illness was also fake, that they were taking advantage of her kindness, and they even kidnapped Hira Sakurako...

So, all that effort by Minamoto no Tamako was for nothing, and she even got stabbed in the back afterwards.

Fushimi Shika, unusually feeling even a tiny bit of guilt, decided to tell the truth for the first time, confessing to Minamoto Tamako that the Nue poison had been cured.

...Then let's talk about Hira Sakura's kidnapping.

This is called risk hedging: deliver the good news first, then the bad news, to keep Yuan Yuzi psychologically balanced.

To ensure the situation didn't get out of control, and also to prevent Minamoto no Tamako from exploding on the spot, Fushimi Shika bought some ingredients on his way home and cooked a meal himself, which he hadn't done in a long time, temporarily switching to his "sunny and cheerful big boy" mode.

However, his plan failed.

Fushimi Shika prepared a table full of dishes, including eel rice, stewed beef, tempura... all of which were dishes that Minamoto Tamako loved to eat.

He stayed by the table, the food getting hot and cold repeatedly, until dawn, but Yuan Yuzi still hadn't returned.

She wouldn't answer the phone or reply to messages. If Watanabe Shun hadn't tipped her off that Minamoto Tamako was still working at the police station, Fushimi Shika would have almost thought she was playing the disappearing act again.

"Ah Jun is dead... Yu Zi is very sad."

Watanabe Shun sent a message on his pager, unusually typing a few extra words without trying to save on the service fee. He felt a pang of sympathy; Shun had once stayed at Kazama's house for a while, just like him.

How did things suddenly become so different?
Watanabe Shun wasn't very bright and couldn't understand why terrorists would target a dog.

But the elites of the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division are not stupid; they are intelligent and immediately started investigating the dog's owner.

Kujou Yui suppressed the investigation. She knew how the incident happened and who was responsible for planting the bomb, but she couldn't say it directly. Even in front of her own daughter, she had to play the role of a muddle-headed boss and ignore the investigation report submitted by Minamoto Tamako.

If this secret were revealed, her political career would be over.

Under no circumstances can the investigation department be allowed to trace it back to Fushimi Shika—at least not yet, as she hasn't had time to send someone to remove the surveillance cameras from the Sugamo apartment building.

Kujo Yui is under immense pressure. All she needs is an excuse, a dubious piece of evidence, to make Uesugi Shion a suspect so she can use the Metropolitan Police Department's resources to arrest him.

Chief Inspector Fujiwara is already in a semi-retired state. He has been busy campaigning recently, planning to move up a rank before retiring. He is canvassing for votes everywhere, running for Minister of State, and hoping to take over the National Public Safety Commission in the future, become its chairman, and rise from the Metropolitan Police Department system to the government decision-making level.

Nowadays, all the big and small matters in the Metropolitan Police Department are managed by Kujo's sole hand.

This was probably the closest she had ever come to her dream in her life.

If she misses this opportunity, there won't be a second one. She's already forty years old this year, and it's impossible for her to outlive another Superintendent General of Police.

If she doesn't get promoted this time, then becoming the deputy director will be the pinnacle of her career.

Kujo Yui knew exactly what she was doing and that what she was doing violated principles. She was not a good mother, nor a good superior, nor even a qualified police officer.

She sat in the Superintendent of Police's office, smoking one cigarette after another. The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts, and the whole room was filled with smoke. You couldn't even see her face from outside the door.

The Metropolitan Police Department urgently established a special countermeasures investigation division, mainly responsible for Public Security Section 3. Previously, the Ministry of Public Security was mainly responsible for national security and intelligence affairs, including counterterrorism and monitoring specific organizations.

The Third Division specializes in dealing with lone wolf attacks, integrating information from multiple departments for early warning and response. Its members are all elites among elites, each one like a detective in a movie or TV show, yelling at people with their mouths turned down.

They were extremely busy, checking traffic records in Sunshine City, interviewing people one by one to take statements, trying to deduce the bomb planting method and figure out the terrorists' habits.

Some people have noticed that Kujo Yui is acting strangely, but no one knows why. They try to avoid the smoke-filled office, and no one dares to see Kujo Yui until the investigation is complete.

Now, Kujo Yui is also waiting.

She was waiting for Fushimi Shika to say something. She didn't expect him to confess; she just hoped he would still have some integrity as a police officer and would send an anonymous letter to the Metropolitan Police Department as before. Without that anonymous threatening letter, Kujo Yui really wouldn't have been able to launch the counter-terrorism operation ahead of schedule.

Now all that's missing is the second letter. We don't even need any actual evidence. As long as Fushimi Shika sends a letter reporting Uesugi Shion, Kujo Yui will immediately go and arrest him.

Logically speaking, the Metropolitan Police Department is already used to the methods of memory restoration and the creation of things out of thin air. As the head of the Metropolitan Police Department, it would not be difficult for Kujo Yui to fabricate evidence.

But this time the situation is different.

Firstly, because of the serious nature of the terrorist attack, as the person in charge, she could not lead the way in fabricating evidence; otherwise, the case would not be able to proceed.

Secondly, because this case is a political achievement for her future promotion, she doesn't need to do it perfectly and without any faults, but at least there can't be too many loopholes.

There are countless eyes in the Metropolitan Police Department now watching Kujo Yui.

She endured the pressure and waited all night, but instead of receiving Fushimi Shika's anonymous letter, she received a letter from the head of the security department.

The other party spoke to her alone, claiming there were new leads on the terrorist attack, but the source of the leads was not clean...

Kujo knew that the head of the security department was testing her, but she didn't have time to beat around the bush. She directly stated that she didn't mind and wouldn't pursue the matter afterward. As long as the clues were valuable, she would accept them without hesitation and would express her gratitude.

The head of the security department sat opposite Kujo Yui, leaning slightly forward, his voice very low:

"The Inagawa Association contacted us proactively; they have evidence..."

He paused, then added, "I don't usually have any contact with the Inagawa-kai. It was the head of the mobile unit who reported it to me, and I verified it, and it's true."

This is using subordinates as scapegoats.

Kujou Yui became interested. She planned to wait for Fushimi Shika to have a change of heart, and if there was a better option, that would be even better.

"What evidence?" She flicked her cigarette ash, glancing sideways.

"A mobile phone."

The head of the security department added, "The terrorists used that phone to make a call, intimidating someone and announcing a terrorist attack. That person then wrote an anonymous letter and sent it to the Ikebukuro Police Station... By conducting handwriting analysis, we can indirectly confirm the truth of that person's testimony."

He unscrewed the mineral water bottle, took a sip to moisten his throat and relieve the itching caused by nervousness: "There are witnesses, there is physical evidence... What do you think?"

Kujou Yui, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, squinted, her gaze unfocused.

She knew that the "someone" the head of the security department was referring to was Fushimi Shika.

I thought that guy had already given up. He was very tough on the surface, hanging up the phone without a second thought, acting like he didn't care about Yuan Yuzi's life or death at all. But in private, he was investigating desperately. He not only obtained the forwarded phone as physical evidence, but also agreed to do handwriting analysis and personally accuse her...

Oh man.

They say no, but their bodies say yes!
Kujo remained silent, neither confirming nor denying. The pressure on the head of the security department was mounting, and he was sweating profusely, unsure of Kujo's true stance.

After a long silence, Kujo Yui finally spoke, breaking the silence:
"Too hasty."

The head of the security department immediately nodded, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from his brow, and took the initiative to admit his mistake: "Yes, yes, it was indeed hasty. How could I have listened to the underworld's one-sided story? It was my fault for not managing my subordinates well. I will definitely punish them when I get back!"

“I mean, this evidence is too hasty,” Kujou Yui tapped her finger on the table. “Can you find the contract information for the forwarding number? Can you find the identity of the caller? How can you prove that this call was made by a ‘terrorist’?”

The "terrorist" she referred to was a euphemism for Uesugi Shion, with the aim of confirming Uesugi Shion's crimes.

However, the head of the security department couldn't understand, and Kujo Yui didn't expect him to understand either; she only needed her subordinates to do things.

"This... is still unclear." The Minister of Security said honestly, feeling a glimmer of hope, and took the initiative to admit his mistake: "It was my oversight, I should have investigated it beforehand."

“No need, I’ll investigate myself,” Kujo Yui said.

She finally stood up from her office chair and issued another order, instructing the administrative officer to call in the Special Countermeasures Section for a meeting.

In 1991, mobile communications in Japan were in their infancy, and digital technology and SIM cards were not yet widespread. At that time, mobile phones used analog communication systems, such as NTT Docomo's "mova" series of flip phones. Users needed to sign long-term contracts with operators, and the mobile phone and number were directly linked, which greatly increased the workload for police investigations.

Current mobile phone services are limited to a small group of people, with very low penetration. Carriers are more focused on device sales and long-term contract revenue than on the absolute traceability of user identities, a model that makes early mobile phone crimes difficult to track.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Fushimi Shika, Minamoto Tamako, and Kujo Yui all have cell phones; in reality, these guys are either rich or rich people's daughters... People like Watanabe Shun, who are just ordinary citizens, best represent the proletariat. He still uses a pager and is even worried about the service fee when sending messages.

But difficulty in finding does not mean it is impossible to find.

Operators typically require users to provide identification documents to sign contracts. Common documents include driver's licenses, resident registration certificates, health insurance cards, etc. Japan does not have ID cards, nor does it have a nationwide registration system, which makes itinerant criminals very common.

They need to go to the operator's headquarters and search through a massive amount of contract documents to find the original service contract.

The head of the security department didn't mention how he obtained the clues, nor what cost he paid to get that string of phone numbers. When members of the Public Security Division wanted to verify the physical evidence, he repeatedly made excuses, saying at one point that it had been sent to the forensic department, and at another that it couldn't be retrieved at the moment.

Kujo Yui knew what was going on. She dismissed everyone and asked the head of the security department alone if they hadn't reached an agreement on the terms with the Inagawa Association.

Now is the time to take responsibility. The head of the security department confessed truthfully, relaying the Inagawa-kai's conditions one by one: Gen Satake wanted to lift the ban on designated yakuza groups, stop the financial searches of the agency, unfreeze the bank assets under the Inagawa-kai's name, and have the Financial Services Agency endorse or cooperate on a real estate business...

These conditions were all outside the jurisdiction of the Minister of Security, and he could not meet any of them.

Kujo Yui couldn't satisfy everyone, but she knew how to resolve the matter. She asked the head of the security department to leave, closed the door to the interview room, and used her personal cell phone to call Fushimi Shika.

That's right, she plans to bypass the intermediary and confront the supplier directly.

(End of this chapter)