Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 436 430. Kazami Yuya. Kujo Reiko
"Brother, Inspector Megure from the Metropolitan Police Department is here with a few men and wants to see you." The next morning, not long after Lin Longma sat down in his office, the police arrived at the front desk as if they had timed it perfectly, wanting to meet with him.

Logically speaking, someone of Inspector Megure's rank shouldn't be able to just see Ryoma whenever he wants, regardless of whether he's with anyone or not.

That's how it is in capitalist society; if you want to see Chairman Lin Longma, you either need to make an appointment, or it depends on Lin Longma's mood.

Otherwise, produce a search warrant.

But Inspector Megure was an old acquaintance of Ryoma Hayashi, and it's always easier to talk to someone you know.

Ryoma Hayashi did not refuse Inspector Megure's request for a meeting.

When Inspector Megure arrived at the door with his men, Ryoma Hayashi even stood up to greet him.

"Inspector Megure is here? What a rare guest. Come to think of it, this is Inspector Megure's first time here."

Lin Longma defined the nature of his relationship with Inspector Megure with just one sentence.

We do have a relationship, but it's only based on business and a few coincidences that have led to a good working relationship.

There's no personal relationship between them, otherwise Inspector Megure wouldn't have never visited Ryoma Hayashi's company.

Within the First Investigation Division, Section 3, Shiratori is widely recognized as having a close relationship with Ryoma Hayashi. Shiratori has visited the Shinichi Consulting firm countless times.

Having come from a legal foundation, Shiratori would never hide such things from anyone; there's absolutely no need for it.
He dared to say that his relationship with Lin Longma was not because Lin Longma was some kind of association president, but simply because they were kindred spirits.

Besides, even if Lin Longma is rich, can he be as rich as the Shiratori Group?
Despite Lin Longma's success in Tokyo, Yixin Consulting still lacks some fundamental foundation.

The Shiratori family has been deeply involved in the legal profession in Japan for three generations, and the Shiratori Foundation is a leader in the legal field.

As for the Suzuki Group, although it's called a conglomerate, it's more like a monopolistic conglomerate. It's a leader and pioneer in multiple sectors, and its size is naturally larger than the Shiratori Group.

Therefore, in terms of business operations, Lin Longma can at most be considered a rising star, while the Shiratori Group is already a well-established conglomerate.

As the heir to the conglomerate, Shiratori Ninzaburo would naturally not be suspected of having a close relationship with Hayashi Ryoma for money.

In this respect, his status as the heir to the Shiratori Group actually gave him a huge advantage.

Trying to bribe me? Dude, do you think I need your pittance? Who are you insulting?

Shiratori's unbridled behavior stems from his family's support, but Inspector Megure cannot act so recklessly.

Although Lin Longma didn't know who the people who came with Inspector Megure were, it didn't stop him from "taking care" of Inspector Megure with his words.

Judging from the expressions of those around Inspector Megure, they seemed quite satisfied with the "business-like" relationship between Ryoma Hayashi and Inspector Megure.

Inspector Megure was a shrewd man; when he heard Ryoma Hayashi say that, he immediately realized that Ryoma was speaking up for him.

He then adopted a serious expression and introduced himself to Lin Longma: "Let me introduce myself to you, Chairman Lin."

This is Officer Yuya Kazami from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Division, and this is Prosecutor Reiko Kujo from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

Inspector Megure introduced the man and woman behind Ryoma Hayashi to him. The man was a police officer from the Ministry of Public Security, and the woman was a prosecutor from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

Needless to say, the public security police, as secret police within the island nation's police system, have a poor reputation in both political and business circles.

A bad reputation means they are indeed a problem for many people. The fact that they can still act with impunity proves that they are a problem that many people cannot solve.

Such trouble is truly troublesome, especially when trouble comes knocking on your door.

Kazami Yuya was already a problem, and Kujo Reiko of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office was no pushover either.

To be precise, Ryoma Hayashi didn't know Reiko Kujo, but he did know the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office is the core authority in Japan's judicial system.

They are capable of directly participating in the investigation and prosecution of major criminal, economic, and political cases. Their Special Investigation Department (Special Investigation Headquarters) is particularly renowned.

Some say the Special Investigation Department is America's "Eastern Depot" planted within the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, while others say its existence has nothing to do with America.

There were all sorts of opinions, and each one seemed to make a lot of sense.

Whether it's a conspiracy theory or a view that this is a victory for the island nation system, the fact remains that the island nation has American troops stationed there.

The fact that Americans enjoy numerous privileges in the island nation is not without reason.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense and logical thinking can analyze this: how could a country with troops stationed within its territory possibly remain completely unaffected and interfered with by that country?

What right does a country whose independence is being trampled on have to shout about independence and freedom?

This is considered having some sense of shame, but not much—but it's still better than the neighbor next door, right? After all, the neighbor next door is already kneeling on the ground shouting "father," and then taking advantage of the situation to intimidate others.

In short, the involvement of the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office demonstrates the importance that the island nation's police force attaches to the death of Robert Taylor.

Yes, although they haven't revealed their intentions yet, Lin Longma has already guessed them.

Lin Longma's men had already discovered the business card, but Lin Longma did not allow them to be taken away.

Many people have seen Taylor come to the Isshinkai base and accompany him to the Takeda family.

If we really investigate Lin Longma and the Yixin Society thoroughly, they will definitely be found out. So it's better to just come out in the open from the beginning.

Lin Longma had already prepared a contingency plan for this situation.

In other words, Isshin-kai is not afraid of investigation. Even if Kazami Yuya and Kujo Reiko led the police and prosecutors to investigate Isshin-kai thoroughly, they could only find out that it was a busy consulting firm.

They definitely won't be able to find any information about the organization.

But the situation is different at the Tokyo City Hotel. Lin Longma's side can withstand investigation, but what about them?

Although Ryoma Hayashi knew the purpose of Kazami Yuya and Kujo Reiko's visit, he did not show it. At this moment, he only frowned slightly as he looked at Kazami Yuya and Kujo Reiko.

"I, Ryoma Hayashi, don't think I have the ability to be approached by both the Public Security Police and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office."

So can you tell me what exactly happened?

After Lin Longma invited everyone to sit down, he asked Kujo Reiko and Kazami Yuya, who were clearly in control.

Ryoma Hayashi's composure was exactly what Reiko Kujo and Yuya Kazami had expected. Although their department sounded somewhat "intimidating," it wasn't something that could make them panic just because of the title of the chairman of a mid-sized company like Ryoma Hayashi.

Staying calm is normal; if you start to panic when you see them, that's a sure sign that there's something wrong with you.

Reiko Kujo spoke first: "President Hayashi, do you know Mr. Robert Taylor?"

“Robert Taylor? Of course I know him, he’s one of our company’s clients.”

Lin Longma seemed a little "strange" when he heard the name Robert Taylor, but he also affirmed without hesitation that he knew Robert Taylor.

Reiko Kujo's little attempt to probe failed, and of course, she hadn't intended to draw a conclusion based on it anyway. It was just a personal little habit of hers—like a detective who is always curious.

These are all professional habits.

"Could you tell us how you met Mr. Taylor?" Reiko Kujo continued, but in a very polite tone.

They knew very well that they were not interrogating Lin Longma at this moment, and they had no evidence or grounds to interrogate him.

This was an investigation and verification of every possible clue, and both of them were elites from the Ministry of Public Security and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

Naturally, I wouldn't do something so irrational.

They would maintain this politeness as long as Lin Longma did not show any obvious suspicion.

“No problem. Actually, the reason I got to know Mr. Taylor was because he took the initiative to approach us.”

Lin Longma asked Kaneda, who was standing next to him, to confirm the date and time when Taylor first came to the base. Then he told Kazami Yuya and Kujo Reiko about his "first meeting" with Robert Taylor.

"To be fair, Mr. Taylor is a very generous customer. He was very generous with his first gift."

No, it should be said that they were extremely generous.

Lin Longma rummaged through the drawer for a while and actually found the envelope that he had casually tossed into the drawer.

Lin Longma had already distributed the money to his subordinates, but the envelope was still there.

After handing the envelope to Reiko Kujo and Yuya Kazami, Ryoma Hayashi continued, "Our company has two veteran detectives as senior advisors."

Unless it's a company-related request, we usually forward any requests we'd like to ask you two to handle to our advisors, Ogami and Chima.

Unfortunately, neither of the two senior advisors were interested in Taylor's request.

Lin Longma shook his head regretfully and said to Kujo Reiko, "You can tell from the marks on the envelope that Mr. Taylor was really generous."

They are the kind of customers that all businessmen would genuinely like.

Although the two consultants declined Mr. Taylor's commission, I decided to accompany him for the sake of future business and potential clients.

It's like getting a generous client for the company, isn't it?

And if I really encounter any problems, it will be convenient to consult with advisors Ooue and Chimana, won't it?"

"They may not give Mr. Taylor face, but they'll at least give me, their boss, face!"

"Then we went together to Rakugan Pass in Tottori Prefecture, where there was a family named Takeda."

When Ryoma Hayashi mentioned the Rukuryu Pass in Tottori Prefecture, both Reiko Kujo and Yuya Kazami focused their attention.

The reason is simple: when they retrieved and checked the traffic surveillance camera footage, they discovered that Taylor was rushing back to Beito Town from Rakugane in Tottori Prefecture on the night of the attack.

Finding out what happened on Luoling is really important to them.

"Chairman Lin, could you tell me about what happened on Luogan Ridge?" Kujo Reiko asked again.

"Of course," Lin Longma readily agreed.

He had already planned to be completely open and honest with everyone. Moreover, he had the beautiful and gentle lawyer, Reiko Kujo, to ask him for advice.

It's like how men enjoy watching videos of beautiful women; they don't necessarily have to do anything with them, just enjoying the visual pleasure is good, right?

"As far as I know, Mr. Taylor's initial trip to Rokugan Pass in Tottori Prefecture was actually for a girl."

Ryoma Hayashi briefly described to Reiko Kujo and Yuya Kazami the connection between Robert Taylor and Misa Takeda three years ago.

Then he went on to praise Taylor for his stalking of Misa Takeda.

"Unfortunately, when we arrived at the Takeda family's residence, we learned that Miss Misa, whom Mr. Taylor had been so concerned about all along, had committed suicide in the Takeda family's warehouse not long after Taylor left three years ago."

"When paying respects to Miss Misa, Mr. Taylor specifically asked me to do something, as he felt that Miss Misa's death was somewhat suspicious."

There was something amiss with the Takeda family, and he wanted me to investigate them.

If Miss Misa's death is truly related to the Takeda family, then he will blame the entire Takeda family.”

At this point, Inspector Megure unusually interjected, "So, was Misa's death related to the Takeda family?"

Reiko Kujo and Yuya Kazami didn't blame Inspector Megure for suddenly speaking up, because they were also curious about the issue at that moment.

"It doesn't really matter, or rather, it's not the main reason. In fact, the main reason for Miss Nobody's death ultimately lies with Mr. Taylor himself."

He communicated with Miss Misa using Romanized spelling when he was injured, but then used the English word "shine" to praise her when he left.

Both of these are fine on their own, but Miss Misa just happened to mistake the word for Romanized spelling.

"If you pronounce 'shine' in Japanese Romanization, doesn't it just sound like 'die' (go to hell)?!"

Inspector Megure was utterly shocked.

"Yes, anyone would find it unbearable to receive such a reply under these circumstances," Lin Longma sighed softly. It really was a tragedy.

Reiko Kujo asked the right question: "So, does Mr. Taylor know about this?"

“Of course he didn’t know,” Lin Longma replied. “When he mentioned the message to me without realizing it, I realized that Mr. Taylor hadn’t caught on.”

Out of regret for this lost love, I naturally wouldn't point out the hidden scar in Taylor's heart.

"Taylor's intuition was right; the Takeda family definitely has some serious problems. That family is practically a den of drug dealers."

At that time, Mr. Mori's daughter, Ran, and Hattori Heiji from Osaka were investigating their house and got into danger.

I helped them out of the situation and then called the police.

"When we returned to Tokyo, Mr. Taylor did not come back with us. I know he just wanted to see what would happen to the Takeda family."

The reason I didn't tell Mr. Taylor was for the same reason—having an enemy isn't so bad.

"Isn't that much better than Mr. Taylor going crazy with self-blame after learning the truth?"

Lin Longma had talked quite a bit, and his throat was a little dry. After taking a sip of water, he curiously asked Kujo Reiko:

"What's wrong with Taylor? It's quite a show of force to have both of you come here together."

(End of this chapter)