Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 550, Sakikawa Restoration Army!

"Twice! Twice in a row! Shota Akimoto always manages to escape legal punishment!"

In the interrogation room, Ishihara Kumiko angrily told Kashiwagi Jin and others about her two investigations into Akimoto Shota's suspected rape case. However, each investigation ended up with insufficient evidence, and Akimoto Shota was an old hand at this kind of thing and would not leave any evidence at all.

This is partly due to the fact that Japan's "feminist tax" has been collected for 70 years. Since the late 90s, Japanese society has seen a surge in false accusations, reaching an appalling level. As a result, women have gradually lost all sympathy from men. Any accusation without concrete evidence and actual proof is regarded as a "small essay," to the point that no one is willing to help when they encounter trouble, and no one is willing to testify when they seek witnesses.

Another classic example is a female athlete who suddenly collapsed due to arrhythmia and heart failure during exercise. However, all the emergency responders who arrived were men. Since men could be accused of sexual assault if they touched her body, looked at her chest where she needed emergency care, or cut open her clothes, the male emergency responders only dared to watch from a distance. By the time a female emergency responder arrived, she was already dead.

Who's to blame? It's definitely not the male paramedics' fault. They said it was hospital policy and in accordance with court precedents, so not going up meant they had no responsibility. Why should they help if you didn't hit them?
This is the origin of the so-called "Japanese indifference," which people used to laugh at, but now they should be able to understand it.

"So I went to find Shota Akimoto! I was assaulted by that beast, Shota Akimoto, in his apartment!" Kumiko Ishihara practically screamed these words: "I reported it! Would a police officer like me lie? But what was the result?!"

Her body lurched forward with agitation, the handcuffs rattling: "Insufficient evidence? Contradictory testimonies? And then, the police came! Not to help me, but to warn me! 'Chief Inspector Ishihara, this matter concerns the minister's reputation, the nation's image, please consider the bigger picture.' The bigger picture? Isn't my innocence and justice the bigger picture?! Then, my family received money, a large sum, like giving money to beggars! They told my parents, 'Take the money, forget about this, otherwise…'"

My parents actually accepted the money with great pleasure, saying they would help me and my husband! They also advised me not to cause trouble and not to affect his current job at the large company. Then, they took the money and went to a bar, opened two bottles of champagne, and ordered two hostesses!

This was the first time that Kashiwagi Jin and Itami Kenichi had learned about these things, and their expressions were quite grim.

Behind the one-way mirror, Watanabe Eiji, Onoda Kimiaki, and Sugishita Ukyo stood together.

Sugishita Ukyo looked at Onoda Kimiaki with cold anger and questioning in his eyes. Onoda Kimiaki remained calm, thinking that for the public security police, this kind of thing was not even a big deal, but since it had been exposed, it still had to be dealt with.

Eiji Watanabe remained silent. The Superintendent General of Police knew that the Public Security Police had taken action again.

This isn't the first time, but there's nothing that can be done. That's just how the police are. The police never exist to uphold justice, but to protect the existing order. To put it more bluntly, the police organization itself is the "guardian dog" of the country's top leadership, inherently possessing the attributes of a lackey. It's just that, to a large extent, protecting order and protecting justice overlap.

But they don't always overlap.

Putting aside other issues, everyone knows about things like "cross-province operations," "orders to delete posts," and "deep-sea fishing."

Of course, this refers to Japanese police, and has nothing to do with police in other countries.

As a criminal investigator, Watanabe Eiji was unaware of the Public Security Bureau's affairs. He originally harbored hatred and loathing for Ishihara Kumiko. However, after learning that these things had actually happened, the Superintendent General of Police thought that if this was true, then Akimoto Shota's death in the bombing was not unjust.

It is our police organization that has wronged Kumiko Ishihara. We must find a way to save her. However, she may be spared the death penalty, but she cannot escape punishment. What the Metropolitan Police Department can do is try its best to prevent her from being sentenced to life imprisonment or more than 20 years.

After all, she had been deeply involved in terrorist activities, and strictly speaking, the explosion was directly related to her.

Outside the interrogation room, expressions varied. Inside, Kumiko Ishihara, having poured out her heart, breathed heavily, tears finally streaming down her face, but her eyes remained fierce: "From that day on, I knew there was no justice in this world! The law protects people like them! And people like me deserve to be sacrificed!"

Inspector Itami silently handed her a tissue, saying nothing, but calmly looking at her with eyes that had seen the ugliness of the world.

This silent understanding stung Ishihara more than Kashiwagi's formulaic questioning.

Once she had calmed down a bit, Inspector Kashiwagi continued his questioning, his tone still stern: "So, you joined the terrorists? You participated in the entire process from the kidnapping to the planting of the explosives?"

"No!" Kumiko Ishihara denied categorically, a hint of mockery on her face. "I told you, I was just a pawn. Kidnapping? Planting explosives? I have no idea! How they caught that bastard, how they planted the bomb on him, how they put the bomb under the minister's car... I know nothing about it!"

"Who are they?" Inspector Kashiwagi pressed on relentlessly.

Behind the one-way mirror, the answer is obvious.

"Red Canary."*2 Eiji Watanabe and Kimiaki Onoda exchanged a glance and murmured to themselves.

However, the answer from the other side was far beyond the expectations of these two police leaders!

"Sakikawa Restoration Army".

Eiji Watanabe: "?"

Onoda Gongxian: "??"

Ukyo Sugishita: "???" Wait!

It wasn't Red Canary who did it?

Wait, what's the background of your Sakikawa Restoration Army?
Damn it, is Japan some kind of terrorist hotspot?!

“They are… the Sakikawa Restoration Army.” Ishihara repeated the name, a complex light flashing in his eyes—a mixture of hatred and a twisted sense of identification. “They contacted me, through the internet, in an untraceable way. They know about me, they know what I hate. They said they will make the Akimoto father and son, all the corrupt officials in power, pay the price. They are declaring war on this system that is rotten to the core!”

"How did they hand you the remote control?" Inspector Itami spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse but getting straight to the point.

“A delivery.” Ishihara’s answer was surprisingly simple. “A regular home delivery package, delivered to my apartment. Inside was only this remote control and a printed note— ‘When he is in the center of the square, under the gaze of everyone, press it and execute justice.’ There was no sender information, so the origin cannot be traced.”

Inspector Kashiwagi frowned. The professional team's mindset made it hard for him to accept such a loose and secretive method of communication: "So, you know nothing about them, and you accepted this remote control that can take several lives simply because of hatred?"

"Take lives?" Kumiko Ishihara looked at Kashiwagi as if she were looking at an innocent child. "Inspector Kashiwagi, in that bastard and his father's world, people like me would have been 'socially dead' long ago! They took far more than just lives! The Sakikawa Restoration Army... they may be extreme, but they are the only ones willing to help me, willing to tear open this festering sore!"

A brief silence fell over the interrogation. Behind the one-way mirror, Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki's expressions were grave. Ishihara's testimony painted a picture of an extremely cunning, tightly organized, and psychologically manipulative terrorist organization. They used victims of the system as their executors, while they themselves remained perfectly hidden behind the scenes.

Not the Red Canary?! But the bombs are the same!

What is the connection between this newly formed Sakikawa Restoration Army and that Red Canary?
Inspector Kashiwagi took notes in his notebook and finally asked, "Regarding the 'Sakikawa Restoration Army,' besides the name and their purpose, can you provide any specific information? Members, bases, any distinguishing features?"

Kumiko Ishihara shook her head, leaned back wearily in her chair, closed her eyes, and couldn't help but laugh: "No. They're like ghosts... or rather, they are the ghosts of revenge bred by this country. This is just the beginning. I'm finished, but you, just you wait and see!"

"Enough!" Kashiwagi Jin couldn't stand it any longer. He roared, "Ms. Ishihara! I understand your pain, and I know that our police organization was wrong to do what we did after you were violated! If you need, I can apologize to you, but your act of revenge is excessive! Do you know that more than a dozen people were injured to varying degrees because of this explosion, two people were disfigured! Dozens more people were injured to varying degrees! And speaking of innocent people, the others in the car are one thing, but Police Chief Special Officer Higashide Masahiro is innocent! You not only killed an innocent guard, but also a husband and a father!"

"So what? How can that be the same? Compared to the pain I've suffered, what do the deaths of a few people matter? No one in this society is innocent, no one!!!" Kumiko Ishihara roared.

"You bastard!!!" Kashiwagi Jin was also furious.

Is your pain the only pain, while other people's pain isn't? Is your life the only life, while other people's lives aren't?
"Calm down! Inspector Kashiwagi! Calm down!" Inspector Itami immediately rushed forward and hugged Kashiwagi tightly: "Don't get agitated!"

Kashiwagi was eventually dragged out.

As expected, Kashiwagi Jin met Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki who were waiting outside. However, facing the heads of the criminal faction and the public security faction, Kashiwagi Jin still glared angrily and said, "Chief Inspector, Chief Cabinet Secretary! Our police organization has retreated again and again. How far does our organization intend to retreat to?!"

"Kashiwagi-san! Just shut up!" Inspector Itami said with a pained expression, thinking to himself, "Kashiwagi-san, why is being your colleague so difficult?"
Both Watanabe Eiji and Onoda Kimiaki turned pale, but they couldn't utter a single word in the face of Kashiwagi Jin's questioning.

First, how should we deal with this "traitorous policewoman"?
This is an extremely difficult situation. They must maintain the reputation of the police organization, protect a subordinate who is both a victim and a perpetrator, and also deal with potential follow-up pressure from Minister Akimoto.

"Block all information and announce that Kumiko Ishihara developed an extreme and distorted mentality of hatred towards the rich and powerful due to her repeated unsuccessful investigations into Shota Akimoto's case, which led to her being exploited by a terrorist organization. Completely conceal the fact that she was a victim herself." Eiji Watanabe said decisively, "Formally dismiss Kumiko Ishihara from the police force, and then hand her over to the prosecutor's office."

"Transfer to the prosecutors? Chief Prosecutor Watanabe... are you sure? The district prosecutors have been unhappy with our police organization always taking the lead for a long time! This will be a major breakthrough for the prosecutors and a huge scandal for the organization. They will definitely not let it go!" Onoda Kimiaki said subconsciously, "Those people at the district prosecutors are tough as nails. There's no way they'll plead for leniency. They'd love to crush us to death!"

“It’s useful to have someone plead for you,” Watanabe Eiji replied calmly.

"Someone? Come on, nobody's going to give face to the District Public Prosecutor... Wait, you mean?" Onoda Kimiaki immediately realized what he meant.

Soyuki Uesugi!

The district prosecutors wouldn't give face to anyone, but Uesugi Muneyuki was definitely an exception.

However, only the Watanabe family father and daughter could command Uesugi!

“Hmm, have him secretly submit a report on his victim background to the district prosecutor's office, requesting leniency and a lighter sentence.” Watanabe Eiji thought for a moment, then continued, “Then, Onoda, you should also let Minister Akimoto ‘know’ that our police have information about Ishihara as a victim, and tell him that our police will ‘permanently close this matter in order to maintain the overall reputation of the national institutions,’ but we hope he will cooperate with the following steps, otherwise, in order to conduct the investigation, we will have to publicly solicit clues from the entire society.”

“Okay.” Onoda Kimiaki nodded.

Indeed, to conquer the Metropolitan Police Department, one must first conquer Uesugi!
However, this is not the time to relax. There are still pressures from the Imperial Palace to the ministers' ANFO bombs, the Sakikawa Restoration Army, the Red Canary, the police mole, the ministers, and society.

The case is getting more and more complicated!
(End of this chapter)