Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

Kuroki Eimi felt much better, and she inexplicably believed that this young private detective would definitely be able to complete the commission.

Kana said that there are very few men who could resolutely withdraw under those circumstances.

"Hanyu-kun, it's just that you twisted your ankle, which might affect the progress of the investigation."

"I have resigned from Shenjing GG Company. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you."

The light screen disappeared, and Masahiro Yuzuru withdrew his gaze.

"My foot injury isn't serious. Although it will have some impact, it's not a big problem."

Kuroki Eimi blinked. "Please don't be so polite, Yuzuru-kun. My assistance is voluntary, and the commission will remain the same."

Since it won't affect your earnings, there's no need to insist on refusing.

Yuzuru Hanyu straightened his expression and said, "Thank you. I will contact Kuroki-san if needed."

Kuroki Eimi leaned forward slightly, making her smooth, white cleavage appear deeper.

"Then it's settled. I'll await your instructions, Yuzuru-kun, and I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

After exchanging pager numbers, Kuroki Eimi stood up. "Hanyu-kun, where would you like to go? Let me help you!"

Although he can walk, it would be easier for him to walk with someone's help.

Just as Masahiro Yuzuru was about to agree, his gaze suddenly fell upon a familiar figure.

"Kuroki-san, thank you. I'd like to sit a little longer and consider the investigation."

Kuroki Eimi nodded, "Okay, I won't bother you any longer, Yuzuru-kun."

Kuroki left after paying the bill, and Yuzuru Masahiro's gaze wasn't on her, but rather on that familiar figure.

To his left, in a corner of the cafe, a pretty young girl sat sideways in a booth.

Although she was wearing glasses, Masahiro Hanyu recognized her at a glance; the girl was his current neighbor, the tenant of apartment 501.

Almost every night, he would hear the clatter of something falling to the ground next door, along with a faint, startled cry from a woman.

Encountering his female neighbor here sparked Masahiro Hanyu's curiosity.

Across from the girl sat a burly, middle-aged man with a cold expression.

From Masahiro Hanyu's perspective, he could see a scar on the man's forehead.

The girl pushed a cloth bag in front of the man. The man touched it with his hand, then put the cloth bag into his handbag, got up and left without saying a word.

Masahiro Hanyu saw this scene clearly.

He instantly imagined various scenarios in his mind: the cloth bag might contain money, drugs, guns... in short, contraband, something that couldn't be shown to anyone.

The girl slowly took a sip of coffee, then glanced over. Masahiro Hanyu immediately lowered his head and fiddled with his cup.

Just a few seconds later, when Masahiro Yuzuru glanced over again out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly realized that his female neighbor had left sometime earlier.

He immediately turned around and looked around, only to see that the girl had already walked away lightly outside the cafe.

This female neighbor is becoming more and more mysterious!

He slowly sipped the remaining black coffee in his cup, analyzing the three pieces of intelligence.

The first piece of information is that Eros Royal Adult Club is located in Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, and is a high-end members-only club.

Main services include striptease, escort services, and beverage tasting. The clientele is primarily business people, with a small number of politicians also present.

The price level is very high. Masahiro Hanyu has heard of this club, but he has never been inside.

Aoyama's ability to become a VIP customer shows that he has spent a considerable amount of money at the club.

The president of the company goes there every Tuesday night, perhaps to watch certain performances.

The second piece of information is that the Yaesu Library Center is located in Tokyo.

Yaesu, Chuo-ku, near Tokyo Station.

It has one basement level and eight floors above ground, making it a super-large bookstore.

The three-story business area is not a place to sell business books, but a VIP lounge area.

If you get tired of browsing in the book center, you can go in to rest after buying a drink or spending a certain amount on books that day.

Why does Aoyama go to the business district every Saturday afternoon? Masahiro Hanyu can't figure it out yet.

The third piece of information: Karuizawa Club Pure Malt, this is a Japanese pure malt whisky.

It is a niche spirit specially made by Karuizawa Distillery for high-end clubs and is only available in top VIP clubs in Tokyo.

It features a rich peaty and sherry cask flavor, and is purer and more complex than typical whiskies.

These addresses all require Masahiro Hanyu to personally investigate. The library center is easy to access, but the Eros Royal Club is not so easy to sneak into.

Even if you could get in, the prices wouldn't be low. A bottle of Karuizawa Club pure barley wine would likely cost between 3 and 5 yen.

He only had 5 yen in funding, which was a bit insufficient.

Today is Saturday. Although he has a foot injury, Masahiro Hanyu is full of motivation when he thinks about the 50 yen commission.

The Yaesu Book Center is always bustling with customers.

Just past noon, Masahiro Hanyu arrived at the third floor of the book center.

There were many people resting in the business area, but fortunately there were still seats available when Masahiro Hanyu arrived.

A female clerk in a bookstore uniform came up to him and led him to a corner booth.

The female shop assistant's uniform fit her well, making her figure appear well-proportioned. Her features weren't exactly beautiful, but they were decent-looking.

Masahiro Hanyu noticed the female shop assistant because he was considering why Aoyama came here—whether he was attracted to a certain woman.

He ordered a glass of iced water, the cheapest of all the drinks, which still cost 400 yen, almost the price of a small draft beer at a bar.

This business area doesn't sell drinks; it sells this place to rest.

Yuzuru Masahiro looked around, searching for the possible factors that had attracted Aoyama to this place.

He noticed a window seat with a reservation sign on the table that read: Aoyama Susumu.

It turns out that Aoyama had booked a spot long ago; even the rest area in the book center could be booked, and the price must have been exorbitant.

Masahiro Yuzuru thought to himself, "It's so good to be rich!"

Around 2 p.m., a middle-aged man with fair skin and glasses entered the business area.

The man was wearing a light-colored linen short-sleeved shirt and light gray thin trousers. One button was undone at the collar, and the cuffs were casually rolled up to the middle of his forearms, giving off an effortless and neat appearance.

Although he accepted the commission from Aoyama, Masahiro Hanyu never met the person who commissioned him; he only saw his photograph.

He confirmed that the man was Aoyama, the president of Fukai GG Company and husband of Hojo Kana.

Aoyama was led to his reserved seat by the female clerk, ordered an iced coffee, and then took out a book from his handbag and quietly began to read.

Aoyama's every move was observed by Yuzuru Masahiro, who did not notice that he paid any attention to the female shop assistant or anyone else.

Masahiro Hanyu went to the bookshelf, found a mystery novel, Yasuo Uchida's "The Wakasa Murder Case," and returned to his seat to read.

Passing by Aoyama's seat, I noticed that the book he was reading was "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World," a work by Haruki Murakami.

From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Aoyama kept his head down and read attentively without ever looking up.

Masahiro Hanyu was puzzled. Wasn't President Aoyama going to do anything about it?

He noticed that Aoyama stood up, seemingly intending to leave.

Masahiro Hanyu hesitated, wondering whether he should continue following Aoyama.

But at that moment, Aoyama walked straight to his side, bowed slightly, and said politely, "Hello, Yuzuru-kun!"