Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

The passion of the previous night left him feeling completely drained, a feeling that Yuzuru Masahiro experienced upon waking up.

I checked the time; it was already 10:00 AM.

When Satsuki Yui spoke to him on the phone yesterday, she mentioned that in order to continue investigating the Fusheng Association and prevent his identity from being leaked, he still does not need to go to work at the detective agency.

We await her instructions regarding the specific tasks to be completed.

The vibration sound came from inside; he had been awakened by the pager notification tone.

Hashimoto Reia was still asleep, clinging to him like an octopus, her silky skin gleaming in the sunlight streaming in from the window.

She was very proactive and engaged last night, and her serious attitude in bed was commendable.

Yuzuru gently lifted Hashimoto's arm and long legs, carefully getting her out of bed so as not to wake her.

The pager was from Yui Satsuki, telling Masahiro Hanyu to call back as soon as possible.

When he put on his clothes, Hashimoto Reia slightly opened her eyes, her gaze still unfocused.

"Hanyu-kun, are you... leaving? I think I need to rest some more; my legs... feel weak."

"I'm going downstairs to return a page, I'll be right back. Ms. Reiya, please continue to rest." Masahiro Hanyu left the room.

He found a public phone booth downstairs and quickly got through to Yui Satsuki.

Yui Satsuki told him to come to the Nagasawa Construction Office in Kyoto the next morning. She would meet him there to discuss something important, and he should be there when she arrived.

In order to investigate the Fusheng Association, Masahiro Hanyu and Yui Satsuki used the identities of employees of Nagasawa Construction Office.

The meeting was arranged to continue the investigation into the Fusheng Association.

As Yuzuru Masahiro hung up the phone and was about to go upstairs, Hashimoto Reia, still half asleep, came looking for him. Hirano Yoshiaki had paged her, also telling her to call back as soon as possible.

When Masahiro Hanyu renegotiated the agency agreement, he left his pager number, but Hirano Yoshiaki still had something to do and contacted him through Rea Hashimoto.

On the phone, Hirano Shōmei spoke calmly, saying that he had already communicated with Mrs. Nagiharu and that they could meet at 2 p.m. today. He would send a car to pick up Yuzuru and Hashimoto and go together.

Rea Hashimoto took Masahiro Hanyu's arm and lowered her voice.

"Even if Mr. Hirano doesn't send a car to pick me up, I can't ride a bike for the time being. I pushed myself too hard last night."

She paused for a moment, then added, "But it should recover by night."

While the two were having breakfast together, Masahiro Yuzuru gave some instructions, since Reia Hashimoto hadn't done any research and mainly just followed orders.

At 1:00 PM, the two got into the business car sent by Hirano Shōmei and arrived at a high-end apartment complex in Minami-Azabu, Minato Ward.

The van stopped in front of an apartment building, which was hidden among ordinary residential buildings. Its facade was indistinguishable and looked ordinary.

The two got out of the car. Masahiro Hanyu looked around but did not see the Honda NSX mentioned in the third intelligence alert.

At this moment, two men and two women walked out of the apartment. These were four bodyguards in black suits. They surrounded the two of them as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Without further ado, the other party immediately conducted a close search, thoroughly checking their bodies to ensure there were no dangerous items before a female bodyguard led the two inside.

From the entrance on the first floor to the elevator lobby, a sentry was hidden every few meters along the way, his eyes always fixed on Masahiro Hanyu and Reia Hashimoto.

When the elevator reached the top floor, two more bodyguards in black stood guard at the elevator entrance. This was the only entrance door on the entire floor, a heavy, explosion-proof, and burglarproof door that was tightly closed, with an infrared sensor installed next to it.

Two bodyguards stepped forward and, after confirming the identities of Masahiro Hanyu and Reia Hashimoto again, conducted a second full-body search on the two.

At this moment, a female bodyguard came out and said, "Madam requests that only Mr. Yuzuru enter. Miss Reiya, please wait outside."

Yuzuru nodded slightly, while Hashimoto remained silent, choosing to tacitly comply—a decision made between the two of them previously.

The female bodyguard remained vigilant until Yuzuru nodded, then stepped aside to let him in, closed the security door, and immediately heard the sound of the lock clicking shut outside.

The interior features a minimalist Japanese modern style, with large floor-to-ceiling windows covered with one-way vision film, offering a panoramic view of half of Tokyo.

A woman stood by the window, a half-smoked cigarette between her fingers, gazing at the distant scenery. This must be Lady Nagiharu.

Hearing the voice, Lady Nagi turned around. She was probably in her thirties. Her skin was extremely fair, her features were well-defined, and her beauty was intense and striking.

"Hello, are you Mr. Yuzuru? Please have a seat." Her voice was soft, as if she didn't need to exert any effort.

Yuzuru Masahiro bowed slightly and sat on the sofa in the living room, with Mrs. Nagiharu sitting opposite him.

She raised her hand and stubbed out the cigarette. Several cigarette butts were already piled up in the bone china ashtray, and the room was filled with a faint smell of tobacco.

"Mr. Yuzuru, if there's anything you'd like to know about me, please feel free to ask."

Yuzuru Masahiro sat upright. "Although I have already read the case file, I still want to hear Lady Nagiharu recount the assassination attempt in person."

Lady Nagiharu casually gathered her long, curly black hair with her hand. "This is the fifth time in a year. This is my third home."

"The first two times were accidental car crashes, but I didn't get a clear look at the driver. I immediately sensed something was wrong and suspected someone was trying to assassinate me."

"The third time, I was taking a bath in the master bathroom when the shower head, which was supposed to be fixed, suddenly came loose, and water poured down on me. I instinctively turned my head and dodged the hidden poison needle."

Masahiro Yuzuru frowned. "You entered Madam's bedroom without noticing? After all, there were two assassination attempts before; Madam's security should have been on guard."

Lady Nagi sighed softly, "We've been very careful, but we still can't figure out how the assassin managed it."

"I moved to a different place because of this, and things were peaceful for a while. But I never expected that someone would tamper with the gas in the kitchen. Luckily, I wasn't home at the time."

"So I moved again and completely replaced the security personnel. After three months of peace, my personal water dispenser was poisoned. Luckily, it was discovered in time, otherwise... So I moved here to live."

"A week ago, I was out in a car when I was shot on the street. The bullet flew past my ear. By the time my bodyguard chased after him, the killer had already disappeared."

"The people in the organization have been investigating for so long, but they haven't found any clues. If this continues, I won't be able to escape sooner or later."

Yuzuru Masahiro scrutinized her: "The assassin always manages to find Madam with pinpoint accuracy, like a shadow that can't be shaken off."

"Lady Nagiharu, haven't you ever suspected anyone?"

Mrs. Nagiharu did not immediately answer Masahiro Hanyu's question. The room was extremely quiet, and the car noises outside the window were blocked by the soundproof glass, leaving only the sound of the two of them breathing.

Nagi Haru finally let out a long sigh. "I suspect Hirano Hiroaki!"