Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 379, Kashiwagi’s counterattack!

P.S.: Writing major cases is quite energy-consuming and mentally taxing. Yesterday's second chapter was indeed a bit filler, so I'll condense today's chapter into one, combining the two chapters into one of 4500 words, ensuring both quality and quantity! Ah, I feel the super-Earth calling me (runs away)!

Japan Life Insurance handles claims, and naturally, the gym had insurance, so it was Japan Life Insurance's turn to step in. Considering that the total compensation amount might exceed 10 billion yen (Ryohei Suo had a 10 billion yen insurance policy), Japan Life Insurance deployed a medical team, an investigation team, and a political team, with the investigation team including Hironobu Takeda and others.

"Uesugi-san, it's been a long time." Takeda Hironobu greeted Uesugi Muneyuki with a slight bow, "With you here, it seems our investigation team won't need to go through so much trouble."

"What, you want to get my investigation results for free?" Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but retort, "I haven't even officially become your company's claims consultant yet!"

"Right away, right away." Takeda Hironobu pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his face showing the expression of an elite: "The offer of formal employment from our company will be delivered to you in March. Before that, please help us one more time, Uesugi-san. For a 1 billion yen insurance policy, I can get you a maximum of 3 million yen in bonus."

As you know, Nippon Life Insurance has always been my brother. We've worked side-by-side to solve many insurance cases. I've been cooperating with the Metropolitan Police Department for a long time. Their equipment, operations, and perfection are unbelievable. Sometimes making decisions is difficult. After many days and nights of thinking, I've decided to bring my talents to the District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Unit. I can't wait to put on the white coat of the University of Tokyo Hospital. As for Professor Zaizen and Dean Ukai, I wish them all the best at Tokyo Medical and Dental University.

Uesugi Muneyuki's extensive network of connections prompted Sugishita Ukyo, the head of the First Investigation Division, to glance at him again, thinking to himself that this kid had quite a wide network. He coughed twice and said, "Then I ask that the people of Japan Life Insurance not obstruct the investigation. Regarding the compensation, the agency will share as much as possible. If it involves classified information related to the case investigation, then please forgive me."

And so, Uesugi Muneyuki and the others officially began their investigation.

Mikoto Ishihara sprayed the ground with ultraviolet contrast agent to reconstruct the trajectory of the blood spray: "The maximum splash point was 1.8 meters away from the instrument - proving that the arterial pressure at the time of impact was ≥180mmHg."

"And..." The forensic beauty sprayed out the shape of a testicle on the ground as she sprayed.

"..." Everyone present was stunned for a moment, and finally their expressions were different. Kai Kyou and Ikeda E Rena couldn't help but laugh, Sugishita Ukyo and Kosaka were composed, while Uesugi Muneyuki felt a cool breeze pass by his crotch.

Mai-senpai, you're so cruel! I hate you!

Only Kashiwagi Jin remained sullen, always staring at Uesugi Muneyuki with a hesitant and uncertain expression, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

This made Uesugi Muneyuki feel somewhat guilty.

Could this guy have discovered something? But... there's no reason for it.

"Section Chief, Uesugi-san, and everyone else, look." Inspector Itami of the Fifth Division was most familiar with the scene, after all, they were the first to arrive and begin the search, and the first to reach the preliminary conclusion of an "accident": "Look here!"

Inspector Itami displayed the fabric fibers he found inside the groove of his skateboard.

According to the forensic analysis, detergent and Kobe beef sauce were detected in the fabric fibers of the trousers.

"The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) shows that the injured party, Ryohei Suo, has a BAC of 0.13% in his blood, proving that he drank heavily last night." Mikoto Ishihara reported to everyone while reviewing the evidence collected by the forensic department. "The urine sample can detect ethanol metabolites such as ethyl glucuronide (EtG), which can also prove that he drank heavily last night."

"So, this was an accident caused by a hangover?" Takeda Hironobu nodded and made a note of it.

"Not only that, there's another important indicator." Ishihara Mikoto was dressed in a standard white lab coat over a gray pullover, paired with slim-fitting heavy winter trousers and black leather ankle boots—a crisp and clean combination that exuded the aura of a professional woman. Moreover, because she was going on a mission, her makeup had less of a seductive touch and more of a serious and earnest air. She wasn't wearing any jewelry either. Only Uesugi Muneyuki knew that hidden beneath the slim-fitting trousers and leather ankle boots was a pair of 80D thick gray pantyhose: "Sildenafil was detected in the victim's bodily fluids."

"What?" Rena Ikeda didn't understand. She was also wearing a winter business suit, but the contents underneath were the same as Mikoto Ishihara's. She had been half-coaxed and half-tricked by Muneyuki Uesugi into wearing pantyhose.

“N-Desmethylsildenafil!” Mikoto Ishihara rolled her eyes and added.

"What?" Erena was even more confused.

"Through immune screening combined with LC-MS/MS quantitative confirmation, the victim's blood and body fluids contained glucuronidated drug metabolites, also known as sildenafil." Mikoto Ishihara was getting a little impatient, thinking to herself, "You wouldn't understand even if I explained."

"So... what does this mean?" Erena's eyes widened. Seeing that Mikoto was ignoring her, she could only subconsciously look at Uesugi Muneyuki.

Zong Xue, say something!

“Sildenafil is essentially a drug used to delay ejaculation during sexual intercourse,” Uesugi Muneyuki explained with a hint of amusement. “Delaying drugs usually refer to PDE5 inhibitors used to treat erectile dysfunction, such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), or vardenafil (Levitra). These drugs can delay ejaculation, but they can cause the person to be relatively sluggish, have an abnormal heart rate, and experience a drop in blood pressure.”

"In other words, the victim not only had a hangover, but also indulged in excessive sexual activity!" Takeda Hironobu nodded immediately and made a note of it.

"This is all the evidence we can find so far," Mikoto Ishihara continued. "The remaining contents need to be investigated by the forensic department, the research institute's laboratory, and the biomechanical reconstruction team. In addition, the victim's vomit also needs to be examined."

“Very well, I’ll leave these matters to you, Mikoto-nee.” Uesugi Muneyuki nodded and said to Mikoto, “In that case, let’s begin the ’autopsy’!”

So the two of them, in front of everyone, personally began a thorough examination of the instrument that had caused Suoh Ryohei's injuries.

Section Chief Sugishita Ukyo also questioned the gym manager, other coaches, and Sakura, the female coach who had been detained by the police.

Coach Sakura naturally denied any involvement, repeatedly emphasizing her alibi.

Sugishita Ukyo and Kosaka Kashiwagi then reviewed the surveillance footage again.

The surveillance footage clearly shows that Suoh Ryohei repeatedly emphasized to the "female instructor" to "just follow my usual level." In front of a group of yoga-wearing girls watching, he also mumbled, "My strength has no limits" and "It's better to do than to sit and talk."

"So, the victim made a mistake and acted recklessly?" Takeda Hironobu nodded vigorously and made a note of it.

After investigating the gym for over an hour, the Metropolitan Police Department simply dismantled the entire leg press machine and sent it back to the research institute for further investigation.

"Uesugi-san, have you found anything?" Section Chief Sugishita Ukyo keenly noticed that the female instructor, Sakura, seemed somewhat uneasy, frequently glancing at them. While the instructor seemed at ease when they inspected the gym area, she became unexpectedly nervous when they searched other areas, especially the yoga room.

"Section Chief, I'm in charge of autopsies. If you want me to solve a case, you need to give me a body to examine!" Uesugi Muneyuki complained. "How am I supposed to perform an autopsy like this? Am I supposed to examine this thing on the ground?" With that, Uesugi Muneyuki pointed to the testicular mark.

"Hmm... So, all things considered, this incident is full of bizarre coincidences." Sugishita Ukyo calmly paced back and forth, analyzing, "The victim, Suo Ryohei, the first secretary to a member of parliament, was simultaneously suffering from a hangover, excessive drug use, operational errors, overconfidence, an accidental loosening of the limit screw, an unexpected malfunction of the sealing ring, and the presence of cleaning agents on the ground causing the anti-slip mat to fail. Yet, he was seriously injured but not fatally?"

"Yes, that seems to be the result of the investigation so far." Inspector Kosaka nodded. "The responses from those around him also confirm that the victim liked to exaggerate his abilities."

"...Let's wait for the investigation by the research institute and the forensic department." Section Chief Sugishita Ukyo felt that something was wrong, but after thinking about it carefully, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He finally glanced at Coach Sakura with a puzzled look, thinking that this was definitely not a coincidence!
The only inexplicable aspect of this incident, the "female coach Sakura" who appeared on the surveillance camera, may be the key to uncovering this bizarre accident!
At the same time, Uesugi Muneyuki also gave a meaningful look to the somewhat nervous female coach Sakura, signaling her to call it a day.

Thus, the first day of investigation by the newly formed Special Investigation Headquarters came to a temporary end. Mikoto Ishihara arranged for several large boxes of evidence to be returned to the Metropolitan Police Department for forensic analysis, while everyone temporarily returned to the Special Investigation Headquarters.

Seeing that the Special Missions Unit's first return hadn't demonstrated their previous extraordinary abilities, the Metropolitan Police Department staff were somewhat disappointed. However, considering that there wasn't even a corpse this time, they felt it was understandable and decided to take a break and wait for the results.

Just then, Kashiwagi Jin suddenly found Uesugi Muneyuki and grabbed his wrist: "Uesugi, can we talk in private?"

"???" Uesugi Muneyuki's face was shocked, especially when he saw the mixed expression of fatigue, excitement, sincerity and solemnity on Kashiwagi Jin's face, he felt a sense of foreboding.

Meng De, Shu De, Shao Xun, Zong! Please lend me your strength!

"I have something I want to show you!" Bai Muren said very sincerely, especially his wrist, which he gripped tightly, very tightly!
"???!!!" Uesugi Muneyuki had an indescribable expression. Seeing this, Ikeda Erena subconsciously moved closer and asked Uesugi Muneyuki with her eyes if he needed help.
"What exactly do you want?" Uesugi Muneyuki shook off Kashiwagi Jin's hand, his expression strange. "This is the Special Investigation Headquarters."

“I know this is the Special Investigation Headquarters! But…” Kashiwagi’s expression became even more earnest: “Did you see that? Both Kosaka and Itami want to close the case as an accident as soon as possible. I think only you will support me!”

"!!!" Uesugi Muneyuki then realized that Kashiwagi Jin didn't seem to be looking for him because of Kashiwagi Meisa.

Sin, sin!
Because of his past relationship with the former Metropolitan Police Department's Chief of Staff, Uesugi Muneyuki felt he owed his brother a bit, so he nodded and said, "Let Erina come along."

“Bring your forensic assistant here too,” Kashiwagi said earnestly. “She… might be useful.”

Fifteen minutes later, Uesugi Muneyuki, Ikeda Erena, and Ishihara Mikoto followed Kashiwagi Jin to an underground parking lot near the police station. After confirming that there were no surveillance cameras nearby, he secretly took something out of his pocket: "I found this in the yoga room."

"What is this?!" Neither Uesugi Muneyuki nor Ikeda Erena recognized it at first glance, but Ishihara Mikoto exclaimed, "This thing is a hidden camera!"

Hidden camera! Erena was initially surprised, but then anger surged within her.

Uesugi Muneyuki narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression unchanged.

"That's right, this thing is a hidden camera. I found it inside the power strip in the yoga room," Kashiwagi said in a low voice. "This gym might not be as simple as we think, and have you noticed a detail?"

Uesugi Muneyuki gestured for Kashiwagi Jin to continue.

"Suoh Masao has been extremely angry. He's like a mad lion, wanting to bite anyone he sees. But... have you noticed that despite his anger, he rarely mentions the gym's responsibility? He hasn't even bothered the gym manager?" Kashiwagi Jin continued in a low voice, "That's very suspicious!"

"Furthermore, I discovered a detail: several ladies who attended the yoga class mentioned that Ms. Sakura often invited them to a bar called Burning for a drink, where they often drank until they blacked out. One of them, a lady named Chihiro, was never seen again." A bright, intelligent light shone in Kashiwagi Jin's eyes. "You know what this reminds me of? It reminds me of what happened in Kabukicho. Apparently, several host club fans were sold to Southeast Asia or even the United States to pay off huge debts owed to host clubs!"

At this point in the conversation, both Erena and Mikoto were visibly shocked.

Could it be that?
Only Uesugi Muneyuki's expression showed only slight surprise, as if to say, "Kashiwagi, you're still a capable person!"

Mikoto Ishihara immediately took the camera and skillfully disassembled it to check for the memory card inside.

However, under the watchful eyes of several people, Mikoto shook her head.

The absence of a memory card indicates that the hidden camera did not collect footage through storage, but rather through other means, such as WiFi, real-time uploading, or transmission via a special frequency band.

“Very good, Inspector Kashiwagi, you’ve found the blind spot.” Uesugi Muneyuki’s expression became much more serious as he carefully examined the disassembled hidden camera in Mikoto’s hand.

"This case and this gym may not be so simple. Now we need to figure out three things: First, what is the relationship between Suo Masao and this gym? Second, is there any connection between the female instructor Sakura and the 'female instructor Sakura' who appeared in the surveillance footage? Third, what is behind the hidden camera in the yoga room? Is there any connection between this and the Burning bar?"

coming! coming!
Erina's eyes were sparkling; she loved watching Uesugi Muneyuki strategize and solve cases!
"Muney!" At that moment, Ishihara Mikoto suddenly grabbed Uesugi Muney's hand: "Be careful!"

“Hmm…” Uesugi Muneyuki nodded heavily. This matter was not like the past; the waters behind it might be deeper than any case he had been involved in before.

From this point of view alone, Kashiwagi Jin made the right choice in choosing him.

"Kashiwagi-san, can I trust you?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked Kashiwagi Jin.

“Of course! Don’t forget! My pursuit of justice is the same as yours!” Kashiwagi said firmly, clearly eager to get to the bottom of things: “The one I truly suspect is you!”

"Huh?" Uesugi Muneyuki was taken aback.

“What I suspect is that she has already joined the University of Tokyo, is already engaged to Administrator Watanabe, has already made great contributions and been personally appointed by a member of parliament to handle cases, has repeatedly appeared on television programs, and still…” Kashiwagi Jin glanced meaningfully at Erena and Mikoto, and said rather forcefully, “Uesugi-san, is your forensic sword still sharp?”

"I've come to you today to show you—my sword is not without its weaknesses!"

(End of this chapter)