Tokyo Detective

Chapter 299 Misfortune Targets the Unlucky (6000 words)
The Hummer arrived at the coastal street they had just strolled along. Here, besides Aiba Shoko, the deaf-mute woman they had met once before, there was also a young woman in a suit and tie standing next to them. Wasn't that Aragaki Yui, whom they had met a few times before?

She was beautiful and cute, with short hair that reached her ears, a tall figure, and slightly bowed legs. She seemed a few years more mature than when we last met. Did she know this family?
Naoki Hanyu got out of the car and met with the two.

"Hello, Ms. Aiba. What brings you here, Aragaki?"

Yui Aragaki bowed in greeting.

"I would like to trouble you, Mr. Yuzuru. I am Ms. Aiba's lawyer, and I have been sent by the government."

A government-sponsored lawyer: Is the Aiba family facing a lawsuit?
Naoki Hanyu looked at the clueless woman next to him. She didn't even know he had greeted her. She only bowed and responded in sign language after Yui Aragaki did so.

Is Aiba Takashi home?

“He has to go to school today, and Shoko would like to invite Mr. Yuzuru to visit her home.”

Naoki Yuzuru nodded and followed. Since he had come, he must have meant to help. Besides, he had a day off today and tomorrow and could take a good rest. These past few days had been very tiring, consisting of killing people and traveling.

"Aragaki, how are you and Komikado doing?"

"It's alright. I've been working as Komikado's assistant for the past few months. However, these past few days, Komikado has been insisting on buying a private helicopter, so the firm's finances are probably going to be tough for a while."

"Private jets, just like his hedonistic ideas, haha."

Since Masato Komikado won the lawsuit and received 8 million yen in compensation in two months, Naoki Hanyu and the other party have been in contact from time to time. Both parties intend to maintain the relationship and meet up about once every two weeks to drink and brag. However, he hasn't seen Yui Aragaki for half a year.

Yui Aragaki looked resentfully at the grinning culprit in front of her.

"I heard that Mr. Yuzuru showed off his new private jet to him some time ago, which is why Mr. Komekado is thinking of taking out a loan to buy it."

"There is no such thing."

Naoki Hanyu would certainly not admit it; Masato Komikado is that kind of person, and he wouldn't accept being blamed.

He likes luxury cars, yachts, and helicopters, even though he probably doesn't use them even once a month. What a wasteful lawyer!

The three chatted as they arrived at Aiba's house, a rather dilapidated apartment. Naoki Hanyu entered the room and instinctively looked around. The 60-square-meter room was enough for three families, and old houses like this in Ota Ward weren't expensive.

Suddenly, a photo being displayed caught his attention. Who was this person? Could it be Aiba Shoko's husband? He was perfectly fine just over ten days ago.

Naoki Hanyu sat on the sofa, and Shoko Aiba respectfully handed him a cup of tea. She then looked at him nervously, without saying a word or even using sign language.

This self-conscious attitude of placing himself in a lower position is something that Naoki Hanyu is really not used to.

"Excuse me, what happened at the Aiba family's place? I went on a trip a while ago and forgot to bring my phone. I only saw the caller ID when I got back, so I rushed over."

Yui Aragaki gestured to the guests, which made Shoko Aiba relax a bit.

She had heard her son talk about Naoki Hanyu, so she started calling him a while ago. Unfortunately, he didn't answer for several days in a row, and she thought he didn't want to get involved with the Aiba family because he thought they were troublesome.

Aiba Shoko didn't care about this. For families with deaf and mute members, it's not uncommon to be disliked by normal relatives.

Even her father had disliked her a little, let alone a stranger.

Using a cheerful personality to disguise oneself has become an instinct for these people.

It seems that Mr. Yuzuru really did keep his word.

Aiba Shoko performed sign language while Aragaki Yui translated.

“Mr. Aiba Jiro suddenly fell down the stairs of the overpass and died 8 days ago. Later, Shoko found out that her husband did not have life insurance and would not receive any compensation. It will be very difficult for her, a deaf-mute person, to take care of a 10-year-old child.”

If I remember correctly, Jiro Aiba worked on construction sites, which usually involve business insurance. However, falling from an overpass doesn't cover that, and now he doesn't even have life insurance, meaning he won't receive any compensation.

Was it an accidental death?

Yui Aragaki shook her head.

"It's unclear. There are many witnesses at the scene who said that Aiba Jiro fell on his own. However, Shoko said that the construction site kept making the workers work overtime without pay in order to meet the deadline. If it was an accident caused by overwork and exhaustion, it could be considered death from overwork."

Are you forcing people to work overtime?

Japan's workers' compensation insurance offers three different types of compensation.

The first type of funeral expense of 30 yuan is available to everyone.

You can only choose one of the second and third options.

Survivor's annuity and lump-sum compensation.

Survivor's annuity is 55% to 67% of the deceased's average monthly salary (depending on the number of family members) received by the spouse or children. It is terminated when the spouse remarries or the children reach the age of 18, with a maximum of 30 per month.

For example, Jiro Aiba's salary is 40 yen.

There are two people left in the Aiba family, and their salary percentage is 60%, which is 24 yen. The other person's share is 12 yen.

Once Aiba Takashi comes of age, he will no longer be able to receive the 12 yen; he will only have the 12 yen left. And when Aiba Shoko remarries, she will lose the 12 yen again.

Of course, couples who are over 50 years old and have been married for more than 10 years may still have the opportunity to receive benefits even if they remarry.

The third type of one-time compensation can reach up to 3000 million yuan, but it is usually between 1000 million and 2000 million yuan.

If the company illegally forces overtime work, then additional compensation can be awarded from the company, which cannot be less than the workers' compensation.

Therefore, the most important question regarding Aiba Jiro is whether his death can be classified as a death from overwork.

"If it's proven that forced overtime can lead to victory?"

Yui Aragaki shook her head.

“This kind of accident caused by overwork is difficult to be recognized in cases of death from overwork. Moreover, there is another problem now, which is that the police will determine it as an accident unless the autopsy comes out differently. However, the autopsy can only be done by paying for a private one. These days, the forensic institutions in Tokyo are very busy and can only conduct autopsies in Shikoku. The Aiba family simply cannot afford the 80 yen autopsy fee.”

"I understand. Leave the autopsy to me."

Yui Aragaki paused for a moment.

"What about the fees?"

"I'll pay for it."

Yui Aragaki was about to object when Naoki Hanyu interrupted her.

"If I can get compensation, then I'll pay you back. If I lost, I can only blame Attorney Aragaki for not being skilled enough."

"."

Yui Aragaki had no way to refute this, and could only tell the client the inside story, causing Shoko Aiba to bow repeatedly in gratitude.

Yui Aragaki asked.

"Mr. Yuzuru, which forensic institutions are you looking for? I inquired about many forensic institutions a few days ago and they are all very busy."

Are forensic institutions very busy?

Naoki Hanyu really didn't know about this; in fact, he hadn't visited Masami Matsumoto for half a month.

Why are you so busy?

Yui Aragaki looked surprised; as a police officer, she didn't know about this.

“In the past two weeks, a new type of flu has caused some deaths in China. As you know, the insurance compensation for deaths from illness and ordinary deaths is different, which is why the forensic doctors are very busy.”

"Oh I got it."

Naoki Hanyu dialed Masami Matsumoto's number in front of Yui Aragaki. Of course, he didn't ask her to help with the autopsy; as a public forensic pathologist, Masami Matsumoto was much busier. He just wanted her to recommend a private forensic institution.

"Hey Yamei, yeah, I just got back. I'll talk to you tomorrow night, don't worry. By the way, I'd like to ask you to recommend a private forensic clinic to help with an autopsy. It's a friend's request."

After hanging up the phone, Naoki Hanyu looked at Yui Aragaki.

"Let's go see if they're willing to help with the autopsy."

"oh oh."

The two women got into Naoki Hanyu's car and headed to a place called the Biomedical Research Institute, where Masami Matsumoto had once worked. As for why they brought Shoko Aiba along, it was because they had reached an agreement and needed her autograph.

Inside the car, Naoki Hanyu realized that he didn't seem to know which company Aiba Jiro had the accident at.

“Aragaki, Mr. Aiba’s workplace is there.”

“The landowner at the Itaizaka construction site in Minato Ward is Mitsubishi Estate.”

It turns out to be a new development project on old land in the port area, which Naoki Hanyu had also heard about.

"Mitsubishi, huh? That's a really big conglomerate."

"Japan's No. 1 Group is more than just big."

At the biological research institution, a male and a female staff member received Naoki Hanyu.

The man is an elderly man nearing 60 years old, and also the director of the bio-organization, named Hirata Ichiro.

The woman is Ishihara Mikoto, who had met Naoki Hanyu several times and whose naked body had been seen by him. She is a petite woman with delicate features and a sweet appearance, with a clear yet unfathomable elegance.

Naoki Hanyu greeted him.

"Hello, Director Hirata. Hello, Ms. Ishihara. It's been a while since I last saw you. You've become even more beautiful."

Mikoto Ishihara nodded weakly.

"Mr. Yuzuru is even more handsome."

Hirata Ichiro said politely.

"Hello Mr. Yuzuru, I never thought I would be able to meet the legendary man, the Dragon of the Metropolitan Police Department, in person today. Could you please sign an autograph for my grandson later?"

"sure."

"By the way, Mr. Yuzuru knows Mikoto?"

“I am a good friend of Masami Matsumoto, and I also had dealings with Ms. Ishihara in a certain case.”

Facing the gazes of the group, Ishihara Mikoto explained.

"Mr. Yuzuru saved me that day."

The female forensic doctor expressed her gratitude, but she dared not meet Naoki Hanyu's gaze.

She had only met the man in front of her a few times, and he had seen her naked twice. Every time she thought of those shameful scenes, her face would blush slightly.

She didn't have a boyfriend and didn't understand matters between men and women, and it's really hard to find a partner if you're a forensic doctor.

Outstanding men tend to look down on forensic pathologists, and if they look for ordinary men, they won't be interested in them either, so it's better to stay single.

Seeing this, Naoki Hanyu ignored the shy woman and gestured for Yui Aragaki to hand over the completed file to her.

"This is the deceased's detailed information. Can you take on this case? I can offer 150 million in fees."

Hirata Ichiro looked at it carefully.

“Mr. Yuzuru, you are Mikoto’s savior. We can’t charge you more. How about this, I will arrange for the autopsy to begin tomorrow. The fee will be 50 yen.”

"Thank you."

If the other party is willing to do him a favor, he doesn't need to insist.

After both parties reached an agreement and signed the contract, the next destination for Hanyu Naoki and his two companions was the construction site, which was still under construction, where they were going to visit the person in charge.

Now that the autopsy has been performed, it's time to get to work.

Inside the office, Director Hirata Ichiro asked curiously.

"Mikoto, your behavior today is very abnormal."

Mikoto Ishihara immediately retorted.

No, I've always been like this.

“You’re usually quite talkative, otherwise you wouldn’t have gone on an adventure with Ms. Matsumoto a year and a half ago.”

"."

"If you like Mr. Yuzuru, go for it! Even if he's Ms. Matsumoto's boyfriend, you can still steal him away. After all, my Mikoto is very outstanding."

"Director, what nonsense are you talking about? I haven't seen Mr. Yuzuru for a year, how could I possibly like him?"

"So it was unrequited love. That means it's hopeless."

"..." This old man has no respect for his elders.

Ishihara Mikoto only heard Matsumoto Masami mention Hanyu Naoki when they were shopping together. The man described by Matsumoto Masami was really perfect. After hearing it so many times, she became a little curious, but she would never take the initiative to approach him.

At the Itachizaka construction site in the port area, Naoki Hanyu led two women into the busy construction site. Soon, Naoki Hanyu noticed that many of the workers looked listless and even had dark circles under their eyes.

Next, a worker led them to the site manager, a bald, middle-aged man, probably around 50 years old, named Masao Oizumi. The site manager frowned as he looked at the woman he had met once before.

"Mrs. Aiba, what brings you here?"

Yui Aragaki handed over her business card in response.

"Hello, my name is Yui Aragaki, and I am Mrs. Aiba's lawyer. We are here to consult about the issue of Jiro Aiba being forced to work overtime and becoming overworked."

Masao Oizumi immediately straightened his face and retorted.

"There is no forced overtime, nor is there any overwork. Overtime at our construction site is all within the scope of national regulations. I can show you the attendance sheet."

Yui Aragaki was surprised. Since there was an attendance sheet, Aiba Shoko hadn't said that, which meant that one of the two was lying.

"But Mrs. Aiba can testify that her husband comes home very late every day."

“We leave work on time here, or Aiba goes off to do other things after get off work, like having a drink or finding a woman. After all, finding a lover isn’t an unreasonable decision for him.”

"Please stop talking."

Yui Aragaki's face was tense, yet she looked fierce in a cute way.

"Mr. Oizumi, don't you think it's going too far to say such things to a deceased person who is no longer able to defend themselves?"

"."

Masao Oizumi's expression changed slightly, then he pretended to be calm and changed the subject.

"I heard that Aiba went to the hospital for a check-up about two weeks ago. Maybe he already has some kind of illness. After all, deaf and mute people also have disabilities, and it's normal for them to get sick."

Aiba Shoko tugged at Aragaki Yui's sleeve, hoping she could translate. Upon hearing the message, she roared angrily and then made a gesture, which Aragaki Yui then translated.

“Mr. Oizumi, how can you say that? I see Tsuyoshi leaving home at 6 a.m. every day and not returning until 11 p.m. He works so hard for the project. As the person in charge of the construction site, shouldn’t you protect the workers?”

Masao Oizumi's tone turned serious, and he gave an irrelevant answer.

"Mrs. Aiba, do you want to repay the company with enmity? Who hired your husband when he was fired and had nowhere else to turn? He's a mute. If we hadn't hired him, your family would have been homeless long ago. Have you forgotten all of this?"

Aiba Shoko looked at Aragaki Yui with confusion, but the lawyer was too late to translate, and her anger prompted her to question her.

“Even if the company has done Mr. Aiba a favor, it is only right for employees to work and receive wages. According to Mrs. Aiba, your company forces employees to work 140 hours of overtime a month, which is a violation of national regulations, no matter what the reason.”

Masao Oizumi, finally unable to contain his anger after being confronted so closely, unleashed his full power.

"I said there's no forced overtime, are you deaf and can't hear me?"

Just as Yui Aragaki was about to continue her rebuttal, Naoki Hanyu pressed down on her shoulder.

"Let me do it."

"Okay, please."

Naoki Hanyu stepped forward, his imposing position giving the 1.6-meter-tall man in front of him a strong sense of pressure, causing the man to take two steps back, revealing his fear.

"What do you want to do? This is a construction site. If you attack me, you won't be able to escape."

"I asked coldly," Naoki Hanyu replied.

"Do you really believe there's no forced overtime? Are you sure your attendance record isn't falsified?"

"Of course I didn't fake it, I said."

Masao Oizumi suddenly stopped talking because the man in front of him pulled out a police notebook with the police rank of Superintendent and Chief of the First Investigation Division written on it.

"Are you a police officer?"

"Yes, Chief of the First Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department. By the way, my office is very close to here, only a few kilometers away. Please come over for a visit sometime."

"."

The head of the First Investigation Division of the headquarters, that's quite a big shot.

The saying goes, "The common people cannot fight against the officials," and even Masao Oizumi's tone softened considerably.

"Officer, what do you want?"

Naoki Hanyu patted Masao Oizumi on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"I don't want anything, I just want you to tell the truth. Otherwise, if I find out you're lying or that there's been forced overtime, I'll open an investigation and shut down your place for a few days."

"This is a construction site of the Mitsubishi Group."

Naoki Hanyu smiled.

“Mitsubishi Estate is Mitsubishi Estate, and Mitsubishi Group is Mitsubishi Group. They can’t be mixed up. Besides, it’s hard to say whether your construction company can even represent Mitsubishi Estate. After all, Mitsubishi Estate has many construction teams like yours under its umbrella. Of course, it’s hard to say who will be blamed if the project is delayed.”

"."

Masao Oizumi immediately gave in, as if deflated.

"The company does have a serious problem with overtime, but that doesn't prove that Aiba's death was related to overtime."

"It's good that you admit it. As for the reason, we'll see in the autopsy report. Don't worry, we believe we'll have the results soon."

Masao Oizumi explained pitifully.

"Officer, please don't mess with me. The workers I hire at this construction site are all people in dire straits like Aiba. Their whole families depend on them for support. If work stops for a while, they will suffer terribly."

Alright, if the hard approach doesn't work, try the emotional card.

Naoki Hanyu said calmly.

"Don't worry, I won't wrong an innocent person, nor will I let a bad one go free. If Aiba Jiro's death has nothing to do with you, then it's absolutely fine. By the way, the wages here are a bit lower than other construction sites, even though the workers' speed is no worse than other construction sites."

"."

Masao Oizumi had nothing to say. The project foremen were in charge of recruiting workers for each project. They didn't mind hiring people in need, as they could pocket more money even if they paid less. After all, the money paid by Mitsubishi Estate was fixed, and it wasn't like they would pay less just because the workers' wages were cheaper.

After the conversation ended, Naoki Hanyu said to Yui Aragaki, who still needed to go to the hospital.

"Aragaki, Mrs. Aiba, I won't accompany you to the final hospital."

"Yes, thank you for your help today, Mr. Yuzuru. It's definitely more convenient to have official personnel to help you."

"Look at what you're saying, it makes me sound like someone who uses their position for personal gain."

Yui Aragaki quickly denied it.

“I didn’t think that way, I just felt that Mr. Yuzuru was very reliable.”

Naoki Hanyu handed his business card to the other party.

"Contact me if anything happens. I'll be leaving the Aiba family to you from now on."

"Yes, I won't let Mr. Yuzuru down."

Naoki Hanyu patted the other person on the head.

"Still call me Mr. Yuzuru. If you consider me a friend, just call me by my name, Yui."

"Oh, Naoki."
.
The two sides separated, and ultimately, to know the outcome, they had to wait for the autopsy report. Naoki Hanyu didn't want to waste his precious vacation.

Next, I'll go to the Metropolitan Police Department to visit them, but before that, I need to buy some gifts as a token of my appreciation.

In the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division area, Naoki Hanyu visited the offices of various departments with bags full of expensive desserts. Every police officer was flattered to see their boss, who was on vacation, visiting them, especially with all those very expensive desserts.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard."

"Under the guidance of the section chief, I feel full of energy, and I don't mind working overtime for days and nights."

"Really? Then I'll arrange for you to work overtime."

The young detective froze instantly, and Naoki Hanyu patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm not the vain kind of person. I'll focus on my work, and maybe my position will be yours in the future."

"Yes."

It took Naoki Hanyu two hours to visit all 15 departments and 15 offices. It was quite a physically demanding task, but at least he gained a deeper understanding of the detectives under his command. Unfortunately, half of them were not on duty.

For example, Miwako Sato from the 4th lineage, Seiko Akimoto from the 1st lineage, and their own direct descendants.

Next, it's time to check on our boss, and of course, our former boss, Jingu Niha. By the way, does she know that I slept with her daughter?
Naoki Hanyu pushed open the door and entered the minister's office, where he met the minister's eyes, who looked displeased.

"Uncle Tianrong, what's with that expression?"

"Where's my share?"

"What do you mean, your share?"

Shiratori Ten'ei's voice grew louder.

"Here's my dessert. You've sent the entire First Investigation Division. Aren't you going to show any respect to your elder?"

Naoki Hanyu spread his hands.

"They've all been distributed."

"Get out of here, don't show your face in front of me until your vacation is over."

"They're so hard to please."

Naoki Hanyu took out two desserts from behind the door.

"This is a gift from a junior to you."

"Hmph, at least you're sensible. Did you come back early to achieve some kind of enlightenment?"

"Yes, I've become stronger again."

"You are a monster."

The two chatted for half an hour. After Naoki Hanyu left the office, he was stopped by a woman, who was the third advisor of the regional department and the assistant of Futaba Jingu.

"Section Chief Yuzuru, Department Head Jingu wants you to go see her."

"kindness."

"The minister also instructed that for every dessert you give Minister Shiratori, she should receive one more dessert. And, and more."

Seeing that the other party was dragging their feet, Naoki Hanyu immediately spoke.

"Speak your mind; taking it slow is not a good thing."

Hearing this, the female counselor mustered her courage, unaware that several policemen had suddenly appeared around the corner behind her.

She said that since you slept with her daughter, you should get an extra dessert.

"puff."

Naoki Hanyu almost spat out his drink. What did he mean by "sleeping with her daughter"? Although it was true, could he say that in front of others? Look, several passing police officers were watching him.

Oh no, I'm sure the news will spread throughout the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters very soon.

"Wait a minute."

Those who heard the rumors quickly disappeared, leaving only a disheveled Naoki Hanyu.

The female advisor who made the revelation looked completely innocent.

"You're the one who asked me to say it."

"You are so smart."

(End of this chapter)