Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 468, Uesugi's Personal Selection!
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is by no means a foolproof fertility insurance; the process is a severe physical and psychological test for couples, especially for the wife.

This would be a long story, so to avoid being criticized for padding my word count, I'll keep it simple and clear here.

Firstly, in order to undergo in vitro fertilization, the wife needs to receive large injections of hormones to promote ovulation, which is very harmful to her body and can easily lead to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a condition that requires hospitalization.

Secondly, even the University of Tokyo cannot guarantee that the egg retrieval procedure will be completely harmless. They can only ensure that it is as minimally invasive as possible, but it will still cause damage to women and carry the risk of various postoperative infections and organ damage.

Finally, there is embryo transfer and subsequent procedures, which require a large amount of luteal support. Moreover, IVF pregnancies are all considered high-risk pregnancies, so we must be extremely careful and cautious.

This is just the physiological aspect. The psychological damage and torment that IVF causes to couples is also significant. Each IVF cycle is like making an "angel investment." Starting with hormone injections, every step has the potential to fail. When the pregnancy test comes, the immense anticipation can instantly destroy all the hopes of a family. This repeated ups and downs can very likely destroy even the strongest people.

The wife also has to endure being repeatedly examined, manipulated, evaluated, and monitored by countless doctors throughout the entire process, which is actually very painful.

Finally, IVF is not cheap. A single IVF cycle at the University of Tokyo starts at 280 million yen, with no upper limit. It can cost 1000 million, 1500 million, or even 2000 million yen, which puts a huge financial burden on patients. But this is the last thing you need to consider.

In this situation, coupled with the severe inhibition caused by "vegetative-nervous system disorder" and the severely insufficient sperm quality and activity due to endocrine disorders in Sugimoto, the path of in vitro fertilization has essentially been a death sentence.

Now it was Uesugi Muneyuki's turn to feel immense pressure.

“Grandpa, why don’t you… count on Father?” Uesugi Muneyuki’s forehead was sweaty.

“Your father?” Uesugi Kuninori sneered and shook his head repeatedly. “He’s been dead for a long time. Tomoko complained to me that he became a ‘monthly husband’ after he turned 45. As for me… let me tell you straight, Yukimatsu Maru, the last time I had a reaction was when I was 68. It’s been six years now.”

"Monthly husband" is a Japanese slang term referring to a husband who only pays his dues once or twice a month. This is actually quite common in Japanese culture. About half of Japanese couples do not get married out of love. There may be some novelty in the early stages of marriage, but once they have children and have fulfilled their duty, the relationship between husband and wife will immediately turn into familial affection, and their sex life will often decrease significantly.

It's normal for Uesugi Hironori to have extramarital affairs, but he didn't have any illegitimate children. This shows that although the father had the desire and the ability, he was indeed unable to have children.

The father might be able to have another child, but it's unlikely he'll actually have another one.

"…………" Uesugi Muneyuki thought to himself, "As expected of my grandfather, he's 68 years old and still doing well, he's really doing great!"
Awesome! Grandpa! Awesome!

"So, Yukimatsu, if you don't work hard, the Yonezawa Uesugi clan will be wiped out! All the hopes of the main family are pinned on you alone! Yukimatsu!!!" Grandpa gripped Uesugi Muneyuki's sleeve tightly: "The main family no longer has any bloodlines that can be adopted from the branch family, and even the maternal bloodline has to be found in the generation before me!"

Uesugi Soyuki: "…………"

He now understood a little why his brother had been so repressed.

The weight of a family name is suffocating!
Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't make any guarantees either. He could only say that he would try his best, and that they would have to wait until after he married Minami at the end of the year.

Uesugi Kuninori couldn't force him; his grandson had grown too big for his britches. After thinking it over, the grandfather decided to make good use of Ishihara Mikoto's side as soon as possible.

Ha, Ms. Ishihara, you don't want the police to find out about your relationship with Yukimatsu-maru, who was a minor at the time, do you?
Your family will offer you a condition you can't refuse.

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

Two stories unfolded, each telling its own tale. Just as the Uesugi family was facing a major succession crisis...

Fuji Television is laughing its head off.

Since its premiere, the "God's Hand" series has dominated all other variety shows in the same time slot with a peak viewership rating of 43%. Subsequently, Fuji TV began to build this flagship program around Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai, and all program content was produced to Fuji TV's highest standards, incurring considerable expenses.

However, major companies and advertisers willing to sponsor the program practically begged Fuji TV to pay them. Sony, Mitsubishi, and Toyota all personally visited Fuji TV because the program's social and economic impact was phenomenal, and the program was constantly "interacting" with reality.

On the show, Uesugi Muneyuki's professional skills, handsome appearance, and occasional dark humor always bring a smile to people's faces. Shirakawa Mai's bright and unique style of hosting, which is slightly awkward but particularly genuine, is also pleasing to the eye. The special chemistry between the two and their seamless way of getting along is even more enjoyable for the audience.

That's not all. More importantly, outside of the show, Uesugi Muneyuki continues to solve various major cases. Countless bizarre cases and his ingenious crime-solving skills have brought him enormous fame and popularity. Japanese people have a very strong (arguably the world's leading) desire to peep into others' private lives, but Uesugi Muneyuki himself is not a public figure.

So, where can you see Uesugi Muneyuki? Well, of course, you should watch "God's Hand" on Fuji TV!

Thus, Fuji TV provided Uesugi Muneyuki with a stage to showcase himself, and Uesugi Muneyuki's huge fan base in turn supported the show "God's Hand," keeping the show's ratings, attention, and buzz consistently high. After the first episode achieved a rating of over 40%, the second episode also exceeded 30%. Although it declined slightly afterward, it still reached 28%, and after the Toshima Ward massacre, the ratings returned to over 30%.

Unfortunately, this show only airs once a month. Fuji TV would love to turn it into a daily show... it's just a little bit of a nightmare.

But as long as there are good ratings, I, Kameyama Chihiro, am willing to do anything!
"I can already foresee the future of television networks throughout the Kanto region and even the whole of Japan!"

On the afternoon that Uesugi Muneyuki took his brother to the doctor, Fuji TV's president, Kameyama Chihiro, was standing by the window, gesturing excitedly: "My grand plan!"

“Did you see that, Abilius? Every proposal I made at the board meeting was approved, and every TV drama project I tried to put forward was implemented. Those who opposed me, their voices are like maggots in the sewers, only able to crawl and wriggle in the dark to express their dissatisfaction, while those who supported me are like stamps responsible for applauding and approving!”

"When a country is on the decline, someone has to sit in the driver's seat," President Kameyama said with a smile.

"And the one holding the reins is none other than you, President!" Abiru Kazuhiko, the head of Fuji TV's FNS production department, immediately flattered, "If we were to select the top three greatest presidents in Fuji TV's history, I think from third to first would be President Kameyama from the year before last, President Kameyama from last year, and President Kameyama from this year!"

"Hmph~ The weak me of the past is dead!" President Kameyama laughed heartily, then resumed his serious expression: "When is the next episode of 'God's Hand' to be recorded?"

"The day after tomorrow is Uesugi-san's day off. We expect to record all day, but it's possible we won't be able to finish in one day, so we'll split it into two sessions." Director Abiru nodded.

"Very good, Uesugi-san is a benefactor of Fuji TV, we must make sure to arrange the best for him... What about over there?" President Kameyama was quite satisfied. There was no way around it, Uesugi's massive popularity was simply too much to handle.

"As for the dressing room... Uesugi-kun is quite satisfied with the hospitality we've provided so far, and has only shown a particular fondness for Tsutsumi Reimi," Director Abiru said. "However, he's been very busy lately; the last time he was entertained by the dressing room was three weeks ago."

"Our news anchor Tsutsumi keeps asking when we can entertain Uesugi again!"

"Then we'll make as many arrangements as possible. We can't give too much money, but the dressing room is Fuji TV's most prized possession, haha," President Kameyama laughed.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something: "Oh right, didn't you say last time that there was a female idol in YKC48 who had something with Uesugi Muneyuki before joining the group?"

“Oh, that Yamaguchi Maho.” Director Abiru nodded: “It seems that she did have something going on with Uesugi, so we specially invited her and Miyawaki Sakura to be the sign girls. However, Uesugi doesn’t seem to be interested in her. She participated in the recording twice, but Uesugi never asked her out or spoke to her… I was originally thinking of letting them use the dressing room, which would be more convenient and discreet.”

"Oh right, there is such an idol... Since Uesugi isn't interested, then it's fine. We can inform YKC that they don't need to send Yamaguchi anymore. The position of the sign girl for God's Hand is very valuable! Miyawaki Sakura is deeply loved by Uesugi Shiraishi and can't be replaced. The other position is very competitive, with many idols waiting in line!"

"President?" Director Abiru suddenly realized something: "Could it be..."

President Kameyama chuckled, stroking his chin. "Yes, Yuasa asked me to let Hirate Sara from Akashirosaka, one of his subordinates, play two or three times. I had no choice but to agree. This is perfect."

"Is it that young master from Yuasa's General Affairs Department? Then there's really no other way." Abiru Kazuhiko had nothing to say: "Alright, I'll make the arrangements."

The president of Fuji TV and the head of the production department almost simultaneously thought of the famous "Human Robe Nioh" and his son Yuasa Hiroshi, who was particularly fond of entertainment industry activities and took special care of Hirate, as well as the special badges on the special brooches that their subordinates liked to wear.

So that night, backstage at the YKC48 theater.

Maho Yamaguchi looked at the text message on her phone from the program's producer. The message was polite but cold: "Mr. Yamaguchi, thank you for your assistance in the previous two episodes. There have been some adjustments to the program's format. The next episode of 'God's Hand' will be filmed by Sara Hirate from Akashirosaka. The entire program team once again sincerely thanks you for your contributions to the program and wishes you all the best in the future!"

The girl from Aomori Prefecture who came to Tokyo to pursue her dream of entering the entertainment industry was struck dumb!

The cold words blurred before her eyes. She had known all along that this opportunity was borrowed, but she hadn't expected it to be taken away so quickly and suddenly, like Cinderella's magic disappearing mercilessly as the midnight bells tolled, without even giving her a proper goodbye. She could almost hear Uesugi Muneyuki on the other end of the phone, speaking to his assistant in his calm, scholarly, and aristocratic tone: "Yes, that's fine. Change it."

She leaned against the cold locker, feeling the faint, illusory confidence she had just gained on stage rapidly draining away. The noise from the surrounding members became particularly jarring.

Just like that, it’s over?
why?
(End of this chapter)