Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 33, Please help me become a real man!

The place where Uesugi Yuken invited his guests for dinner was at the Harukaze Ryotei in Bunkyo Ward. Under the continuous drizzle, the environment here was quiet and secluded. There were no signs or indicators on the courtyard wall in the hazy night. There was only a black and gold Chinese character "Harukaze" framed on the door. If you didn't know, you would have thought this was some private garden house.

There was a flowing water under a small bridge in the courtyard, and the lotus leaves in the pond made pleasant sounds under the wash of rain. There were goose yellow lanterns hanging on the bamboo fence with the words "Spring Breeze Pavilion" written on them. The He family's quaint wooden buildings were mixed with Western Gothic or Baroque style decorations, the so-called Taisho Romanticism.

Uesugi Sosetsu and Ikeda Ereina arrived first, and soon two middle-aged women in kimonos came up to greet them: "Is this Uesugi Sosetsu-san from Yonezawa Uesugi?"

"Yeah." Uesugi Sosetsu naturally held an umbrella for Ikeda Erena, and the tall beauty looked around curiously. This was her first time to come to the legendary restaurant.

Ryotei is a special term in Japanese culture. Its origin can be traced back to a series of high-end restaurants in Edo during the Edo Shogunate period in the 17th century, which served daimyo lords and important officials of the shogunate.

Life in Edo was very difficult. The farmers were neither full nor starving, the hatamoto samurai were poor and had to buy things on credit everywhere, and the daimyo and feudal lords had to live in Edo for a long time because of the sankin-kota, and were under close surveillance by the "mezuki".

No matter how loyal the daimyo lords were to the shogunate, there were times when they needed to discuss things in private and pass on information secretly, not to mention that many of them had many conflicts with the Edo shogunate. Over time, the ryotei with full privacy gradually became a place for the daimyo or their subordinates to meet. They evolved from simple high-end restaurants to important places for political dignitaries to gather and negotiate, and this gave rise to a special term "ryotei politics."

After the war, ryotei not only did not disappear, but became more and more important. Generally speaking, the most upscale ryotei only accept regular customers, and first-time customers must be introduced by old patrons before they can enter. After the bursting of the bubble economy, some ryotei also openly accepted customers due to operational pressure.

"This is my first time in a place like this." Ikeda Erena whispered, her eyes burning as if she wanted to re-examine Uesugi Sosetsu: "Yonezawa Uesugi, what is that?"

The tall beauty suddenly realized that Uesugi Sosetsu almost never mentioned anything related to him.

"Don't you know about the Dragon of Echigo, Lord Uesugi Kenshin, and the first lord of Yonezawa Domain, Lord Uesugi Kagekatsu?" Uesugi Munesetsu was a little puzzled: "Didn't they learn about it in history books?"

"I know Uesugi Kenshin, but..." Ikeda Erena really didn't want to say that she always failed in history. She sobbed twice and shook her head a little embarrassedly.

Sure enough, when she said this, the female clerk who was leading the way in front immediately showed a look of contempt on her face.

The Uesugi family is a regular customer of Hontei, so why did they bring such an illiterate person here?

Erina, who was very sensitive by nature, immediately sensed the change in the female clerk's attitude. The tall beauty immediately regained her indifferent and arrogant sharp temperament, and raised her spikes like a nervous hedgehog.

Uesugi Munen was about to comfort her when a voice from the front forced him to stand up straight.

"Oh, Xuesong, you're here quite early?"

Uesugi Hironori, wearing a black kimono with a blue Suzaku pattern and a folding fan in his hand, came quickly with a big laugh. Behind him, Uesugi Tomoko, wearing a black kimono with a lily pattern and a gold border, came slowly with a smile.

"Father, mother." Uesugi Sosetsu replied with a smile: "I brought the people with me."

Ikeda Erena realized that these two people were Uesugi Sosetsu's parents, and she immediately bowed her head and saluted: "Hello, it's our first meeting. I'm Ikeda Erena, from Fukuoka, Kyushu. Thank you for your guidance."

"My son has been under your care for a while, Miss Ikeda." Uesugi Yuken looked at Uesugi Munen's partner, frowned calmly on his chubby face, and then smiled again: "Xuesong's personality must have caused you a lot of trouble, right?"

"No, no." Hui Lingna just felt very nervous and shook her hands quickly.

"Oh, you are such a beauty! You look like you have overseas blood, right?" Uesugi Tomoko smiled gently and said, "You are such an amazing person to be willing to work with Xuesong on field missions."

"He is a very good person. I feel relieved."

"Oh, I was worried before, but now I know I was worrying too much."

Everyone carried the colorful sedan chair, and a few people said some meaningless compliments. Uesugi Sosetsu took Erina into the small box inside, leaving the large box outside to his parents and a few people from Otsuka Police Station.

Coincidentally, it rained in the afternoon and evening, but by the time Uesugi Sosetsu and Ikeda Erena sat down, it was sunny outside.

The moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, and gradually fell into the quiet courtyard. There were only two people sitting in the small private room of more than ten square meters. Seeing that there were no outsiders, Ikeda Erina relaxed a little. What she disliked most was the traditional kneeling sitting. The tall beauty took the opportunity to stretch her legs under the table and whispered, "This meal is very expensive, right?"

"It's okay. My father is treating us anyway." Uesugi Sosetsu looked indifferent. He was secretly admiring the tall beauty at this moment.

The ankles, as white as jade, were wrapped in flesh-colored stockings with a pink halo. The hanging lights in the house emitted a bright goose yellow light, which just echoed the same color of Erina's skin. It fell on her pair of silk feet along her one-step skirt, as if covered with a layer of fine, hazy and colorful light.

From the ankle upwards, a pair of super long and muscular legs shine like art against the backdrop of stockings, and the instep of the foot is like a flawless jade disk covered by the fine knitted thread of the velvet stockings, with faint blue marks visible.

What a good leg! Even Uesugi Sosetsu couldn't help but admire it in his heart.

Such beautiful legs must be worn in stockings!
Ikeda Erena felt Uesugi Sosetsu's gaze, and she asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Did your stockings get snagged?"

"What kind of wine would you like to drink tonight?" Uesugi Sosetsu calmly changed the subject.

"...I don't want to drink, okay?" Erina lowered her head, pressed her hand on her collar, leaned over to check, and when she found that her stockings were fine, she stopped being suspicious and said a little unnaturally, a hint of anger instinctively revealing on her pretty face.

He seemed a little... too skilled.

Does he often bring other women here to eat?

"Of course." Uesugi Sosetsu nodded. He called the waiter over and asked Erina to order a drink, then signaled that the food could be served.

Japanese cuisine is divided into three categories: Japanese cuisine, Western cuisine and Okinawan cuisine.

Needless to say, Japanese cuisine is mainly about the taste and the environment. Ryotei does not only serve Japanese cuisine, but also Western cuisine and Okinawa cuisine.

It is worth mentioning that the Japanese’s favorite Western cuisine is Italian and Spanish cuisine. On the contrary, even the Japanese don’t eat much British and French cuisine.

After all the dishes were served, the waitress retreated and placed a bamboo barrier at the door to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. As the paper door was closed, Uesugi Soyuki and Ikeda Erena were the only ones left in the small box. Without any outsiders, Erena relaxed a lot, and her eating manners were naturally not very elegant.

On the contrary, Uesugi Sosetsu, who was sitting opposite her, had a natural elegance in every move, and he was able to control himself very well. Not only did he eat slowly, he also observed her with a half-smile in his eyes.

After enjoying grilled beef tongue, tuna sashimi and sweet shrimp from Hokkaido, Ikeda Erena opened the lid of the miso soup and looked up to find Uesugi Sosetsu staring at her. She immediately put down the bowl with a look of embarrassment on her pretty face: "What are you doing?" "I'm watching you eat." Uesugi Sosetsu shook his head repeatedly and turned on the TV next to him: "Don't worry, or do you have something else to do tonight?"

"I'm sorry, I'm a country bumpkin from Kyushu. I'm not as good as you guys who were born in Tokyo. I don't know what etiquette is." Erina said unhappily, "If you want to teach me etiquette, you've got the wrong person. I'm willing to follow you just to have a meal with you, that's all."

"Yes, I'll take it as my apology for the offense I've caused you during this period." Uesugi Munen nodded politely: "Thank you for not killing me."

"Pfft!" Erina was amused by Uesugi Sosetsu's attitude.

Thinking of the experiences during this period, the tall beauty's eyes softened a lot: "Actually, I also know that you didn't mean it, but... forget it, anyway, I'm not that kind of person, at least not what you think."

"Tanaka and the others said that you were difficult to deal with. I was worried before, but after actually meeting you, I found that you are not like what they said." Uesugi Sosetsu could feel that Ikeda Erena was in a good mood, so he struck while the iron was hot: "I think we have a pleasant cooperation, what do you think?"

"It's...it's okay." Ikeda Erina thought to herself, aren't you the only normal one among so many men?
"Then can you answer a question for me?" Uesugi Sosetsu said patiently, "The name Erena should be the katakana version of Elena, right? So, your name should be Ikeda Elena? So, your mother is a foreigner?"

"Well, my mother is Filipino, and my father is a member of a foreign trade company. He met my mother when he was doing overseas trade. My mother is Spanish-Filipino, so he gave me this name." Ikeda Erina nodded. She thought for a moment and continued, "But using Katakana or an English name directly is too conspicuous, so my father changed it to Erina."

"The name is Zero Milk, but in fact it's Big Thunder!" Uesugi Sosetsu couldn't help but complain.

"Ah? What do you mean?" Erina didn't understand.

"It's okay, it's just an evaluation based on objective facts." The man said calmly, "In fact, Ms. Ikeda, you should not be so aggressive. You are indeed a beauty."

He is here, praising me?
Ikeda Erena was somewhat happy in her heart, but then a hint of anger appeared on her beautiful face.

Although it was pleasant to get along with him, I always had a feeling that my IQ was being crushed. Sometimes it didn't matter, and sometimes I could clearly feel that something was wrong but couldn't tell what was going on. This man was always around me, and I wanted to ask but felt embarrassed, so I had to hold it in.

This feeling is very unpleasant!

"Compared to me, you, Uesugi, are the traditional one. What is Yonezawa Uesugi, what is the Dragon of Echigo? Shouldn't a talented person like you have a career in the Metropolitan Police Department? How did you end up in the field of forensic medicine?"

Erina retorted sarcastically.

She held her anger in for a long time before finally coming up with a somewhat offensive response.

If there is any subject that Ikeda Erena is particularly good at, it must be English. Her father works in a foreign trade company and her mother is Spanish-Filipino. She can speak pure American English, and although her other subjects are a mess, her English scores are always high.

Career is a technical noun, referring to the occupational group in the police system.

"It was probably by chance. I was originally a surgeon, but because I was too straightforward, I was transferred to the forensic pathology department. As for the professional group, that's where the famous law students at the University of Tokyo would take the exam, and I'm still far from that." Uesugi Munen answered the question seriously: "But it's not all in vain. I met a lot of interesting people and encountered a lot of interesting things because of this job, for example, I met you."

Uesugi Sosetsu spoke calmly, without a hint of ambiguity, but his casual words unexpectedly set off a huge wave in Erina's heart!

This sentence instantly smoothed out all of Ikeda Erena's previous dissatisfaction. She stared at Uesugi Sosetsu's cold and handsome face, and couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth into a touching arc.

Me, me too!

"So, Ms. Ikeda, I have an unwelcome request, please agree to it!"

Seeing that the time was almost ripe, Uesugi Sosetsu decisively carried out the last step of his grand plan. He changed his sitting position to kneeling, clasping his fists on the tatami: "Please help me become a real man!"

"Ah?" Erina's pupils trembled. She instinctively stepped back in bewilderment. She changed her usual cold and indifferent attitude and shouted shyly and angrily, "What are you talking about?! Uesugi! I didn't expect you to be such a person! I thought you were different from other men!"

"But you're the only one I can ask for help!" Uesugi Sosetsu was confused by Erina's attitude: "You're the only one who can teach me!"

"You, are you kidding me?!" Erina was embarrassed and annoyed. She said coldly, "If you want to be a man, go find her! I don't want your Toshiba notebook!"

"Ah? But aren't you a black belt in karate and judo?" Uesugi Souji was even more confused by Erina's nonsense: "She's not a black belt, what does it have to do with her..."

"Huh?" Erina was stunned.

"Ah?" Uesugi Sosetsu also looked at her blankly: "I want you to teach me karate and judo, is that not possible?"

Only then did Erina understand what Uesugi Sosetsu was asking for. The tall beauty looked ashamed and she immediately stood up without saying a word. She thumped her beautiful pair of flesh-colored feet on the tatami, trying to push open the door and escape.

It's a big shame this time!
Unfortunately, she went in the wrong direction. Under the astonished gaze of Uesugi Sosetsu, she hurriedly couldn't open the door, and was stopped by Uesugi Sosetsu: "I'm serious, Ms. Ikeda, you have won several national championships, you are the most suitable, we can discuss the conditions, don't leave."

However, when it comes to karate, Ikeda Erina's face becomes noticeably gloomier. She carefully examines Uesugi Sosetsu's facial expression and asks, "Are you investigating me?"

"I have to know who my partner is, right? And this isn't really an investigation. I can just search your name in Yahoo and find out about you." Uesugi Sosetsu told Erina his investigation verbatim: "Inspector Tanaka also said that you are a very good kung fu master, just like the pervert we caught that day!"

The topic shifted to karate, and a strange pain flashed across Ikeda Erena's light brown eyes, but when she saw the man's serious expression and thought of the misunderstanding that had just been resolved, a long-buried emotion slowly rose up.

Isn't this exactly what I want?
"Since you said so, I can teach you." The tall beauty couldn't control her emotions. For example, the light in her eyes overwhelmed the hanging lights. She had never been so excited before: "However, I have a few conditions."

"condition?!"

Uesugi Sosetsu looked at the tall beauty's eyes that were full of interest and had a bad feeling.

"What conditions?"

Did she want to beat me to my knees and then...

　Update early today!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)