Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 461, The real culprit appears!
"Waaaaah, Okada-san! Okada-san!"

Igarashi Hayato was already in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. He knelt on one knee before Okada Masayoshi, gripping his other hand tightly. After hearing Okada's story, overcome with grief, his sincere expression exploded like a Mebium bomb: "Don't worry, Okada-san! You deserve someone better! I will help you, I promise!!!"

“Uh…” Okada Masayoshi was quite embarrassed and speechless. He originally only wanted to tell these things to Uesugi Muneyuki, partly because he had a strong urge to confide after such a great disaster. But he really didn’t expect that there would be other people in the Special Missions Division present.

He instinctively wanted to accuse Uesugi Muneyuki of promising to keep it a secret, but then he remembered that Uesugi had brought it up himself, so he had to hold back. Seeing Igarashi's innocent and pure expression as a burning hero, he couldn't bring himself to say anything more, only managing a faint, bitter "Thanks..."

After something like this happened, how could he possibly be in the mood to find someone new, at least for now?

As for Kai Toru, who was standing to the side, he was crying and had a complicated expression. He wondered if Etsuko was like this too.
No, Section Chief Okada, how am I supposed to believe in love again if you do this?
Ikeda Erena didn't say anything. She knew she was bad with words. To this national hero police inspector, Erena gave him a gentle hug to comfort him that everything was alright. Then she stood obediently next to Uesugi Muneyuki and asked him with her eyes what to do next.
"Let's take Okada-san back to the hospital first," Uesugi Muneyuki said softly. Then, he and Igarashi wisely helped Okada Masayoshi up on either side, and the Special Missions Unit escorted Okada Masayoshi away from the water purification plant.

Outside the water purification plant, SAT armored vehicles were already parked. The leaders were Superintendent Ichijo of the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Division and Captain Vdai of SAT. When they saw Uesugi Muneyuki and others escorting Okada out, Superintendent Ichijo didn't say much. He just jogged up, patted Okada on the shoulder, and whispered, "Thank you for your hard work." He then signaled SAT to escort Okada back to the hospital.

Inspector Ichijo knew that after everything he had been through, anything he said could hurt Okada's pride.

Thus, under the escort of the SAT, Masayoshi Okada boarded an armored vehicle and headed towards the hospital. It is worth mentioning that this action, in addition to protection, also served as surveillance, since Okada's suspicion had not been completely ruled out.

the other side.

"We're going back to the Special Investigation Headquarters," Uesugi Muneyuki said to the remaining members of the Special Missions Division.

"Oh, are we going back now?" Kai Toru said in surprise, "It's already past midnight."

“Yes, if I’m not mistaken, we should go back now. The Special Investigation Headquarters will have news soon.” Uesugi Muneyuki raised an eyebrow. “The high priest predicted that Kashiwagi’s side would make a discovery as early as before dawn!”

"A high monk's prediction? What kind of high monk are you?" Kai Kyou scoffed, glancing sideways at him.

"Of course it's Abbot Shi of Shaolin Temple, the place across the sea where all martial arts under heaven originated!" Uesugi Muneyuki said confidently.

"Wow, that's amazing! As expected of Uesugi-san!" Igarashi exclaimed with admiration. Ever since joining the Special Missions Division, he's admired every single member.

The youthful, sweet, cute, domineering, resourceful, and skillful manager, Minami!

The omnipotent and invincible chief of the prestigious aristocratic family, Uesugi, who is below the gods!
Kai, the dashing and open-minded police inspector, fought his father to the end and forged his own path!

Inspector Ikeda, the beautiful judo policewoman and fierce WarGreymon!
Ishihara's assistant has top-notch professional skills and can always find scientific evidence to support any of Uesugi's deductions!
Chief Okada, who can pilot an EVA!
Our Special Missions Department is full of amazing people!

On the way back, Uesugi Muneyuki sat in the passenger seat thinking, Ikeda was driving, and Kai and Igarashi were sitting in the back seat. Right outside the window, Murakawa-dono was moving past the car window at the same speed as the Toyota Camry, and casually struck up a conversation with Uesugi Muneyuki.

"Humans, what a group of creatures so easily swayed by self-pity and manipulation." Village Flower Palace said with utter disdain, "No wonder it's the goddess of love, Serian, and the god of the wilderness, I... Anyway, now I understand why humans behave so irrationally. To put it bluntly, you humans are influenced by the power of the goddess of love; your emotions and strong reproductive desires easily overwhelm your reason. On the other hand, as creations of the god of the wilderness, the instincts and passions of beasts are forever hidden in your blood and genes."

"If that's how you want to understand it, then so be it." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded: "Humans are inherently creatures who love listening to stories and are willing to pay a huge price for their emotional value."

"Tell me more, why?" Murakawa-dono was clearly intrigued and gestured for Uesugi Muneyuki to say more.

Uesugi Muneyuki naturally had no problem with it.

Humans are creatures who love listening to and telling stories, and are naturally drawn to love and emotional value. They are easily attracted to captivating narratives and everything from ancient Rome to roadside plum blossoms.

A typical example is the Shu Han dynasty during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, generally considered the last regime in Chinese history with a strong romantic element. While official history may not be entirely accurate—for instance, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei weren't sworn brothers but rather fellow townsmen from Zhuojun who rose up together—strictly speaking, they were still partners. Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei also went through a period of adjustment, and because Zhuge Liang was too upright, their private relationship wasn't as close as the almost saccharine, brotherly bond between Liu Bei and Fa Zheng. However, the adaptation in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* told this romantic and grand story well, and so even after more than a thousand years, countless people still talk about it with great interest and emotion: "A vow made in the Peach Garden, a lifetime of brotherhood; three visits to the thatched cottage; devoting oneself to the utmost until death." Another example is the luxury brand Balenciaga.

Balenciaga is a typical brand that doesn't rip off the poor. For example, they might print their logo on a plastic woven bag and sell it for 300, or a pair of white shorts with a red stain on the back and sell it for 500, or deliberately distressed jeans and sell them for 800.

Many people laugh at those who buy this brand, calling them fools. But Balenciaga has actually told its brand story well. When you laugh at those who buy Balenciaga, calling them ripped off, then you are not Balenciaga's target customer. They use this method to differentiate people and ensure the prestige and sense of superiority of high-net-worth individuals.

Similarly, there are brands like Hermès and Rolex. For example, there's the streetwear brand created by Jessica Jung, a famous member of Girls' Generation. A T-shirt that costs 20 yuan can be sold for 300 yuan after she adds an English sentence and says "Designed by Jessica Jung of Girls' Generation," and still, there are plenty of people buying it.

A negative example is Maserati. Originally a very prestigious luxury car, it was constantly being associated with "micro-business owners happily acquired" posts. Instead of stopping this, the Maserati brand designed a corresponding promotion: "Micro-business owners are welcome to take photos, 300 yuan per photo." As a result, people's first reaction to Maserati became "micro-business owners, nouveau riche." Consequently, high-net-worth individuals and the upper class stopped using the brand altogether, essentially losing the big picture for a small gain.

As for criticism of luxury goods, let alone the industrial age, even in 17th-century Paris, a plethora of writers wrote various essays criticizing and mocking the trend of luxury. Now it's the 21st century, is it still of any use? Paris remains the world's largest center for luxury consumption to this day. Supreme started out as a popular brand that satirized and opposed luxury, but after a period of development, it itself became a symbol of mid-to-low-end luxury.

This is humanity: romance and passion forever lie dormant in the blood of this race, while reason and animality rise and fall, creating so many wonderful stories.

After Uesugi Muneyuki finished speaking, Murakawa-dono remained silent for a long time before nodding slightly, revealing a rare hint of joy.

Are humans such an interesting species?
The outside world is quite interesting too!

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

Meanwhile, in the early hours of the morning, at the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Investigation Headquarters.

The special investigation team, led by Kashiwagi Jin, had been watching the surveillance footage for hours with red eyes.

News soon came from the front that Uesugi Muneyuki had found Okada Masayoshi, who had escaped!
Upon hearing this news, Minami finally couldn't take it anymore and went to sleep, leaving behind Kashiwagi Jin, who felt immense pressure.

The fact that the Special Missions Unit had achieved such great merit upon joining made Kashiwagi Jin restless.

We must get this done before Uesugi Muneyuki returns; we can't let him steal the spotlight!

He ordered his subordinates not to rest and to find the murderer as soon as possible!
Fortunately, thanks to Meisa Kashiwagi's reminder, Uesugi Muneyuki had a clear understanding of the culprit's characteristics. Furthermore, based on Meisa Kashiwagi's "Ah-leh-leh" marking of a person in the apartment door surveillance footage, the Special Investigation Headquarters quickly identified a suspect!

Ryuji Kurosaki, 186cm tall, has a history of violent fighting and speeding. He knew Miki Okada and they had some interaction when they attended night school at Chushin High School. He is a member of a biker gang in the Kanto region. Police retrieved his recent photos and surveillance footage (such as from convenience stores and transportation cards) and found that he often wore a dark blue hooded work jacket, a mask, and gloves.

The Metropolitan Police Department immediately retrieved Kurosaki Ryuji's information from the files. Although the Metropolitan Police Department was not entirely certain whether he was a formal member of the yakuza, one of the officers in the gang's investigation department recognized him. A veteran officer in charge of the Sumiyoshi-kai's investigation department recognized him as a person who frequented the Sumiyoshi-kai's affiliated businesses and immediately contacted the Sumiyoshi-kai to request their cooperation in the case.

When Sumiyoshi saw the police from the Anti-Corruption Bureau come knocking on his door, he didn't dare utter a sound and immediately betrayed Kurosaki Ryuji.

They told the police from the anti-gang unit that Ryuji Kurosaki was currently playing mahjong at the "Sakura Mahjong Club" in Shinjuku Ward!
After receiving this information, the Metropolitan Police Department continued to review the surveillance footage. Kashiwagi Jin clearly captured Kurosaki Ryuji's figure in an inconspicuous traffic camera—he was wearing his signature dark blue hooded jacket, swaggering into the back door of the store. The incident occurred on the night of the crime.

"Yosh, target confirmed! Repeat, target confirmed!"

"Target: Sakura Mahjong Club! All personnel! Move out!!!"

(End of this chapter)