Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 413, Police and People as One Family
PS: I'll only update once today because of a match. I'll make up for the rest tomorrow!
Minami Watanabe's rank is Inspector, which is equivalent to a deputy division chief.

The promotion sequence in the police organization is: Superintendent, Superintendent, Superintendent Chief, Superintendent Supervisor, Superintendent Commissioner, and Commissioner General of the National Police Agency. You can find your place in these ranks by comparing them. For example, Superintendent is equivalent to the head of the First Investigation Division, Sugishita Ukyo, which is equivalent to the level of a full-fledged division chief. Superintendent Supervisor is equivalent to the head of the provincial public security bureau in China, which is equivalent to the level of a full-fledged department head. The Commissioner General of the National Police Agency and the head of the Financial Services Agency are at the same level, which is equivalent to the level of a full-fledged department head. Above that are State Councilors and the four ministers plus the Prime Minister.

However, the Commissioner of Police has less real power than the Commissioner of Financial Services. In fact, in a sense, since the Police Department is only responsible for overall planning and does not directly command operations, the question of who has more real power, the Commissioner of Police or the Superintendent of Police, often depends on who has more connections and influence within the police force.

However, there is one thing that the Commissioner General of Police does not have, as mentioned earlier: the Commissioner General of Police is already an administrative officer, while the Commissioner General of Police is still an administrative officer.

The fact that a high-ranking official from the Financial Services Department came to curry favor and show weakness to a mere police inspector completely stunned Mei Bo.

"Wow, that's great~" Sure enough, Kai Toru couldn't help but say, "This guy is actually like this. He's such a good father. Unlike that other person, who is cold and ruthless. He hasn't said a word to me since I came to the Special Missions Division."

Uesugi Muneyuki rolled his eyes after hearing this.

Your grandfather, Kai Mineaki, the Vice Minister of Justice, is pretty much the same... The difference is that he forced me to go to the toilet with him and entrusted you to me.

After a moment of silence, Uesugi Muneyuki gestured for us to go check on Okada first.

Minami gently knocked on the door, then pushed it open and entered. Ikeda E, Rena, Igarashi, and Kai followed closely behind. The atmosphere in the ward remained somewhat stagnant after Okada Masayoshi left. Okada Masayoshi was still lying face down with his eyes closed, but his furrowed brows and slightly rapid breathing indicated that he had not fallen asleep and his emotions had not yet calmed down.

“Okada-san.” Uesugi Muneyuki’s voice was calm and gentle, with a hint of barely perceptible concern, breaking the silence.

Okada Masayoshi opened his eyes and saw Uesugi, Minami, and the others. He struggled to sit up and asked, "Supervisor! Forensic officer! And everyone?"

"Don't move!" Kai Takeru darted forward and gently pressed down on his shoulder, his movements swift and decisive like a detective, yet cautious: "Keep lying down! It'll be troublesome if the wound reopens!"

With a hearty yet concerned smile, he carefully examined the bandages on Okada's back. "Tsk, looks painful. But you're lucky to be alive! If that cut had been a little off, it would have been troublesome!"

"Chief Okada, you must get better!" Igarashi felt guilty for not being able to do much at the time.

Uesugi Muneyuki walked to the bedside, his gaze sweeping over the exquisite snack box on the bedside table, then over the mountain of expensive tonics on the table, before finally settling on Okada Masayoshi's pale face. He pulled up a chair and sat down, his tone steady and firm: "How are you feeling? What did the doctor say?"

Okada Masayoshi's voice was a little hoarse and tired. He tried to cheer himself up and said, "The doctor said that there was no vital injury, just a deep cut to the flesh and a lot of blood loss. He needs to rest for a while and can't move for the time being."

"That's good." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, his eyes filled with undisguised praise: "Okada-san... you did a very good job this time, extremely well. Not everyone can make that choice in such a moment. You not only saved the lives of those two children, but also upheld the dignity of the police profession in the eyes of the public. The Metropolitan Police Department is proud of you, and the Special Missions Unit is proud of you!"

This direct affirmation from a legendary forensic pathologist carries more weight than any official award.

Okada Masayoshi's eyes welled up slightly. He lowered his gaze and whispered, "I just... did the only thing I could do at the time."

"The only thing you could do?" Kai Kyou sat down on a chair on the other side of the bed, arms crossed, his tone slightly teasing, but his eyes were incredibly serious: "Do you know how fast you pounced on me? We've seen the security footage, it was practically like..."

He seemed to be searching for the right word, "...like a lion that doesn't care about its life! Even that madman was stunned for a moment! It bought us crucial time!"

He was referring to the process of Uesugi Muneyuki leading his team into the sewers to make the arrest.

"Haha, we're all comrades who trust each other with our backs, no need to be so formal. Brother Jiangyi, Zongxue brought you some good stuff!" Miss Minami didn't want the ward to be so serious, so she smiled and patted Ikeda Erena's shoulder.

Erina rolled her eyes and placed the gifts that Uesugi Muneyuki had bought for Okada Masayoshi on the table.

A whole case of Want Want milk, a large bag of Want Want gift packs, and a whole tin box of Hsu Fu Chi candies gift boxes.

"What is all this?" Erina thought to herself, thinking that the department head was injured like this, and Muneyuki was still like this.

However, the actual situation surprised Erena greatly.

Okada Masayoshi thoroughly enjoyed Uesugi Muneyuki's gift; after a few sips of sweet milk and candy, he suddenly felt that his injuries didn't hurt as much.

Uesugi Muneyuki and Minami exchanged a smile. In fact, Okada Masayoshi really liked sweets, but he was not allowed to eat any at home, and it was not appropriate for him to have a drink of iced cola at the Metropolitan Police Department. At this moment, he was able to satisfy his small sweet tooth. Moreover, the doctor also said that Okada had lost a lot of blood and had low blood sugar, so it was okay for him to eat something sweet.

After exchanging a few words, Okada Masayoshi began to inquire about the handling of Sakuma Kaito.

This is something that not only Okada is interested in, but also Erena and Kai Igarashi are interested in.

"The police mean that he's an extremely wicked person! We can't let him live out his days in a regular death row cell. We'll put him in a special isolation cell next to the SAT training base, under 24-hour surveillance, and cut off from all external contact! We must strictly control all meetings except for his lawyer! We absolutely cannot let his family hear his nonsense about 'killing for happiness'!" Uesugi Muneyuki said softly.

“But excessive isolation will be attacked by human rights groups and used as an excuse to delay the trial. The practical approach is to monitor him as closely as possible within the limits of the law, but without distorting the judicial process.” Miss Minami said softly, “The death penalty is too lenient on him, but it is already the maximum penalty.”

"Ha, the death penalty? Will I live to see him executed?" Erina pouted, the tall beauty clearly unconvinced.

"You should thank our country for still retaining the death penalty. South Korea, for example, hasn't carried out any executions since 97, right?" Kai Toru sipped the section chief's coconut juice and burped.

Uesugi, Minami, Okada, and the other two smiled at the same time.

Kai is right. Although South Korea still retains the death penalty in theory, it has not actually carried out any executions since 97. In recent years, the abolitionists in South Korea have repeatedly argued that the death penalty is unconstitutional and demanded its complete abolition, but the National Assembly has always insisted that the death penalty is constitutional and refused to amend the constitution.

However, the overwhelming momentum of the abolitionist movement means that there is no longer a real death penalty in actual sentencing and execution. The South Korean Supreme Court usually sentences prisoners to death with a reprieve or life imprisonment. Even if a death sentence is imposed, no one will carry it out. Therefore, there are a large number of “death row inmates” in South Korea who are kept in one place. Many of them have been imprisoned for more than 20 or 30 years and are destined not to live to see the day of execution.

Japan has retained the death penalty execution procedure. Although there is a long wait, the execution will eventually take place.

After a long silence, Masayoshi Okada suddenly said, "I don't want to be disturbed by that man's actions any longer. It's our duty to go to court as soon as possible, end things quietly, and send him to prison and the dock. Besides... does the death penalty really mean anything to him?"

Uesugi Muneyuki remained silent upon hearing this.

Although Uesugi Muneyuki himself insisted on retaining the death penalty, it must be said that while many people consider the abolitionists to be "sanctimonious hypocrites," some of their arguments are not without merit: the death penalty does not truly solve the problem; it merely stops the problem by causing the perpetrator's death.

A prime example is Kaito Sakuma. He knew that the massacre of his entire family was so heinous that he would definitely be sentenced to death. So, killing four people was the same as killing two more policemen. Even if he went a little crazy and shot a few more children in the daycare center, would it have any impact on him? Since he was going to die anyway, he did something so resolute and caused such a huge commotion.

Another typical example is human traffickers. Many people like to say that human traffickers should be sentenced to death, and those who buy people should also be sentenced to death. However, in practice, this not only fails to truly solve the problem of human trafficking, but also means that if you sentence them to death, then I can finally do whatever I want without restraint. On the contrary, leaving some leeway for human traffickers to come forward may sometimes save the fate of the trafficked children.

This is why, not only in South Korea, but the whole world has realized that in the process of modernization, the death penalty cannot truly solve the problem. Therefore, even in China, which is the most steadfast in retaining the death penalty, the Supreme People's Procuratorate is becoming increasingly cautious in death penalty sentencing, and the time from detention to execution is getting longer and longer. So sometimes... we need Mai-senpai's strength even more! Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself.

Minami's attention shifted elsewhere, and she instructed Okada, "Okada-nii, now that he... is here, there should be plans for the afternoon..."

“I…” Okada Masayoshi immediately felt his father’s large hand that wouldn’t leave him, and was about to retort angrily, “I don’t want to!”

"Shut up!" Minami said fiercely, "Haven't you heard the old saying in the Celestial Empire: 'If you don't take what Heaven gives you, you will suffer the consequences; if you don't act when the time is right, you will suffer the calamity.'"

"Did he force your glory upon you? Didn't you earn it with your own blood and courage?"

"What's yours is yours! What does it have to do with him? Just accept what's yours and behave well!"

"..." Faced with Minami's reprimand, Okada Masayoshi was momentarily speechless.

How could anyone not like flowers, honors, and applause?

Even if he were, Okada Masayoshi isn't that kind of person.

"I understand." The head of the Special Missions Department finally nodded. As an elite bureaucrat from a professional background, he was extremely adept at it.

"Oh right, where's Miki-nee?" Minami suddenly remembered, "Where's Mrs. Okada?"
“Miki…she went on a trip to Europe with her best friend. I just saw the news…I told her on Line that I’m fine, and she said she’ll come back to see me after her trip.” Masayoshi Okada said with a wry smile, “Buying plane tickets at the last minute is very expensive.”

"Huh???!!!!" The entire ward was completely silent.

Is this okay? ? ?
With no other option, Uesugi Muneyuki and Watanabe Minami had to stay behind to take care of Okada Masayoshi, while Erina was responsible for serving tea and water.

........................

Sure enough, things changed immediately after Okada Masahiro left in the morning.

The parents of the little girl rescued by Masayoshi Okada, along with several other parents of children who were also at the scene and were still in shock, came to the hospital. The little girl's mother, Kawabata, held her daughter, while her father held a large bouquet of bright sunflowers (symbolizing children and hope).

When they appeared, the atmosphere instantly shifted from heavy mourning to a tearful gratitude of relief after surviving a catastrophe.

The little girl's parents walked straight up to Watanabe Minami and Uesugi Muneyuki, and to everyone's astonishment, they suddenly knelt down, holding their child!

The father immediately performed a full dogeko (a deep bow in apology), his voice choked with sobs and tears streaming down his face: "Thank you! Inspector Okada...you saved my daughter's life! Everyone in the Special Missions Division...protected us! I will never forget this kindness!"

The mother also burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, and tightly hugged the dazed girl who seemed to sense the atmosphere and quiet down: "Mr. Okada... please... please get well! You are this child's savior!"

Several other parents also gathered around, bowing deeply in gratitude, their voices choked with emotion.

"Red bean paste, arigato! Okada-san!"

"Okada-san, I will never forget your kindness to my family!"

"Please get well soon, Okada-san!!!"

“My child was in kindergarten at the time! The police came… I was really saved! I am so grateful!”

Uesugi and Minami quickly stepped forward and personally helped the girl's parents, who were sitting on the ground, to their feet.

Minami's eyes also welled up with tears: "The child's safety is more important than anything else. Inspector Okada will definitely recover. This is the very reason why we police officers, we Special Missions Unit officers, exist."

Uesugi Muneyuki then knelt down and gently patted the girl's head. The noble young master of the aristocracy spoke in an incredibly gentle voice: "...It's alright now. Here, have some candy, have some candy!"

The parents of the rescued children spontaneously organized themselves, bringing their children and carefully prepared food to Okada Masayoshi.

Red bean rice symbolizing blessings, handmade rice balls, grilled sea bream symbolizing recovery, handmade wagashi, thank-you cards drawn by the children, origami (thousand paper cranes), and small handicrafts came to visit.

The principal and teachers of Odaiba Seaside Nursery School presented a bouquet of flowers and a letter of thanks signed by all the teachers and students.

No, it wasn't just the kindergarten; all the residents near Odaiba also sent gifts to the Special Missions Unit to express their respect.

Masayoshi Okada solemnly accepted all the handmade cards, paintings, origami, and crafts.

These gifts embody the children's pure gratitude, a sentiment that money cannot measure, and are entirely in line with police ethics. Okada carefully read each card and placed the children's handicrafts in a prominent place in the ward.

He symbolically tasted a small bite of the homemade food his parents had brought, and sincerely said, "It's delicious! Thank you so much!"

He then explained that according to the Police Law, it is not permissible to accept excessive food gifts, as this could trigger regulations regarding police officers accepting bribes. However, the food would not be wasted but would be shared with police officers in the Metropolitan Police Department and numerous medical staff in the hospital.

Here, the weight of sacrifice and the preciousness of the lives being protected intertwine quietly yet intensely, creating a perfect scene of police and civilians being one family.

Inside and outside the ward, there were seven or eight cameras simultaneously recording this scene. Their professionalism, speed, and sensational reporting made Uesugi Muneyuki, who was in the ward, unable to suppress a smile.

The love of the parents is far-reaching.

Financial Services Agency Commissioner Masahiro Okada is exerting considerable force!

The unprecedented and frenzied pursuit and the major achievement of solving a 15-year-old cold case have come at a heavy price and sacrifice. How will the Metropolitan Police Department and the Special Missions Unit be evaluated?

Uesugi Muneyuki took out his phone.

Looking forward to it!
(End of this chapter)