Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 569, Everyone's Sick!
The storm in the Kanto region continues. The kidnapping of the parliamentarian's daughter is still under control. The Japanese police announced a "complete victory" and praised Kashiwagi Jin for his decisive and swift actions, while expressing regret over the outcome and announcing that the kidnappers had killed her.

Meanwhile, the news following Osumiwa's surrender was an explosive event. Major television stations launched special programs, immediately linking Osumiwa's case to the previous case of Akimoto Shota. Fuji TV directly exposed Osumiwa's family, confirming that his mother first appeared on camera flying to Hong Kong, then transferred to Morocco, and then disappeared without a trace.

What exactly happened to Ōsumigawa's daughter?
Why would he do this? Why would he want to inflict pain on the world in such an extreme way?
Was there more to the story behind the bombing that killed Shota Akimoto?
Also, is the strange incident at the Imperial Palace related to the Osumigawa River?

This part became the focus of everyone's attention, and everyone soon discovered that there was a department that had experienced all these events, and that Uesugi Muneyuki was able to persuade an old man who wanted to blow up the whole world, was vicious and suffering from a terminal illness, to turn himself in!

He must know the inside story!
But where did Uesugi Muneyuki go?
All the TV stations and media outlets are looking for Uesugi!

He received a huge amount of attention, but he himself disappeared!

"Find him! Find him now!!" Fuji TV's president, Kameyama, screamed in his office. "With Uesugi, we'll have headlines! We'll have ratings!"

And so, major news media outlets began a massive, comprehensive search.

Strangely enough, the Metropolitan Police Department remained silent throughout.

Meanwhile, in Kansai, Osaka.

A quiet room converted from an old bank vault. The walls are inlaid with metal reliefs that do not conform to the geometry of this world, and the air is filled with the scent of old books and incense.

A middle-aged man, around forty years old, was kneeling in front of an old beechwood tea table, preparing for his daily meditation.

He was impeccably dressed in a custom-made white clerical robe, but casually wore an old-fashioned vest, a common sight among old-school businessmen in the Kansai region, creating a peculiar mix-and-match style.

Her smooth hair was neatly parted in a 2:8 ratio. She wore round-framed gold-rimmed glasses, and her eyes were gentle but devoid of any deep emotion, as if she were observing a specimen under a microscope. She wore a friendly, slightly tired business smile (like the classic "Osaka merchant" smile), but this smile never reached her eyes.

He was toying with two ancient copper coins engraved with unidentified patterns in his hands.

In front of him is engraved the sect's sole core doctrine.

"unified."

"Do you ever feel like you were once a part of a grander existence? Let every lonely person return to the whole of the world."

Suddenly, the door to the quiet room was yanked open a crack, and a young woman with parts of her face showing translucent crystallization was kneeling outside the door, trembling all over.

"Ni-sama... something... something's happened. It's about... 'Number 3'!"

"Number 3?" The middle-aged man didn't turn around, remaining in his meditative posture, gently wiping his gold-rimmed glasses with a piece of chamois leather. His voice was as calm as ever: "What's wrong with him? Is the side effects of 'Diversion' too severe, causing his form to collapse? I reminded him not to abuse his power, and that he needs... rest after each operation."

“No…no! We…we’ve all been deceived! He wasn’t a loner seeking liberation at all! He was…a member of the ‘Red Canary’! He used the ‘gift’ you bestowed upon him to…plan the…explosion…the one on TV…”

She could barely continue speaking; her body trembled violently with fear.

The air in the room seemed to freeze instantly. The smoke from the incense sticks no longer rose straight up, but began to swirl and twist eerily.

The middle-aged man stopped wiping his glasses. He slowly, very slowly, put his glasses back on his face, and then he reached out and picked up the cup of freshly brewed, steaming matcha in front of him.

"explain."

"He... he used his abilities to kidnap Shota Akimoto, the son of Foreign Minister Shinichiro Akimoto! And then, he detonated explosives, killing the minister's son, driver, secretary, and guards in one fell swoop! Now, the Kanto region is in chaos, and the media, police, and even... the Self-Defense Forces' special forces have been mobilized! News helicopters are broadcasting the entire incident live!"

Click.

A crisp cracking sound.

The priceless Raku ware tea bowl in the middle-aged man's hand, a heirloom from the Azuchi-Momoyama period, cracked perfectly in the middle. Scalding hot tea flowed down his fingers, splitting into several streams, but he seemed oblivious.

He gently placed the broken teacup back onto the tea tray, his movements maintaining a terrifying elegance. With his other hand, he took out a clean white handkerchief and slowly wiped the tea stains from his fingers.

“Heh… I just greeted the Kanto chief, Number Three… I see. I thought his eyes burned with a desire for ‘reunification,’ but I didn’t expect… such crude, such short-sighted… political passion.” The middle-aged man chuckled softly, but there was no smile in his eyes: “Red Canary… Leftists are all sick. My gift is being used for this.”

“He…he has defiled Your Majesty’s grace…” the woman said, trembling. The middle-aged man gently shook his head: “No. It is his foolish mind that cannot comprehend what he has brought upon us. He thinks he is rebelling against the ‘system,’ but he does not know that he is tolling the death knell for all of us. The war machine of the modern state…that is not an ‘enemy’ we can face at this stage. It is not something that can be fought against by the supernatural power of one or two awakened individuals…pure material violence.”

"Times have changed, sir."

“Orbital satellites will lock onto this place. Bunker buster bombs will destroy our sanctuary. Tanks will run over our ceremonial grounds. They will use steel, fire, and sheer numbers to wipe us, these incomprehensible ‘anomalies,’ along with this building, from the map. And all of this is because of one… self-righteous fool who misused the tools I gave him to explore ‘truth’ to play his childish revolutionary games!”

"What, does he think the fat man and the little boy aren't tough enough, or does he think the lesson of provoking the US troops stationed in Japan wasn't profound enough?"

He uttered the last few words almost through gritted teeth, then took a deep breath, as if trying to forcefully suppress the unbecoming anger back into his body.

The middle-aged man regained his placid expression: "So, he was also responsible for the kidnapping of Representative Kurokawa's daughter?"

“No… The Red Canary said things went wrong. They originally planned to kidnap Uno Yukiko to get enough funds from Representative Kurokawa and to find like-minded people through this, but… but Taguchi Junnosuke, who was in charge of assisting them, didn’t do what they wanted. Instead, he killed Uno Yukiko alive and took the fetus.” The woman gasped, “They’ve moved now… but it’s unclear how much Taguchi will reveal.”

"They also said that Taguchi is crazy, putting his personal grudges above their great red ideals. They said they have officially expelled Taguchi from the left!"

"Hiss~~~5000 million gone in such a short time?" The middle-aged man's voice remained restrained, but the woman could hear the surging anger beneath his calm tone, like a deep-sea icy current: "Everyone's crazy after all. I shouldn't have cooperated with these terrorists!"

“I intended to have them divert the attention of the Kanto region, but I forgot a very important point… these people are infinitely divisible, and each of them has their own ideas.”

“Immediately activate the ‘Purification Protocol.’ Cut off all non-essential contact with the outside world. Transfer all core research data and ritual materials.” The middle-aged man sighed. “I will handle this, and then… give the Kanto side an explanation.”

“Poor bird. You had the chance to touch the stars, but you chose to crash into the walls of your cage, and even tried to draw the guards’ attention to us… What unforgivable stupidity.”

"No one can stop me from going to Takamagahara and void. When I successfully leave this pathetic prison of the world, all consciousness within the 'whole' will gain ultimate freedom."

"All things in the world will eventually become one!"

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

On a summer afternoon, sunlight filters through the lush foliage, casting dappled, shimmering spots of light on the asphalt road.

The air was filled with the lazy chirping of cicadas and a hint of humid moisture.

Saito Asuka wore a well-fitting light blue sailor-collar summer school uniform, with a dark pleated skirt swaying lightly with her steps. On her slender legs were a pair of sheer white socks that just covered her ankles, paired with black loafers, each step exuding the youthful rhythm of a high school girl.

She was carrying an eco-friendly bag with a logo of a nearby supermarket printed on it, filled with freshly bought milk, bread, and some fresh fruits and vegetables.

But at this moment, what excited her even more than the items in the bag was the message she had just received on her phone screen.

The brief message from Mr. Uesugi was like a bombshell of joy dropped into her heart—the Imperial Household Agency had extended an invitation for her to spend a long vacation at the Royal Villa in Karuizawa with Mr. Uesugi!

It was news as wonderful as a summer fairy tale.

"Yay~! Karuizawa, Karuizawa, vacation, vacation!" Asuka murmured softly, unable to suppress the corners of her mouth from turning up high. Almost subconsciously, she quickened her pace, her originally rhythmic steps turning into a joyful hopping, and her long, black hair behind her head swayed lively.

Sunlight shone on her delicate, elfin profile, casting a soft glow. She was completely absorbed in her reverie of Karuizawa's cool air and beautiful scenery, as if the rest of the world had been shut out by this sudden joy.

However, beneath this beautiful scene, an incongruous shadow lurks.

About ten meters behind her, a masked man wearing an ordinary polo shirt and looking somewhat uneasy had been following her for a while.

His gaze was fixed on the leaping blue figure in front of him, his eyes filled with a complex mix of scrutiny and hesitation.

What should we do?
When Asuka slowed down to look at her phone because she was happy, he also slowed down; when Asuka skipped forward again, he quickly followed. His behavior was out of place with the peaceful environment around him.

Just as Asuka was about to turn into a relatively quiet path leading to Sakata Bridge, the man seemed to have made up his mind and reached into his pocket.

"Dry!"

(End of this chapter)