Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

Yuzuru Masahiro was taken aback. He had just met with Mrs. Abu, and now Mrs. Nagiharu wanted to see him. Was it a coincidence or was there some other reason?

"Mrs. Nagiharu! What's wrong? You can explain it over the phone."

"Mr. Yuzuru, is it because you find my image annoying that you don't want to see me?" Mrs. Nagiharu's tone was reproachful.

"Of course not. I don't think any man would find Lady Nagiharu's image tiresome. It's just that the investigation hasn't made any progress yet, so I have nothing to ask or say to Lady Nagiharu."

"Mr. Yuzuru, I want to see you because I have something to say."

Masahiro Hanyu no longer refused, "Oh, okay, then I'll see you later."

Mrs. Nagiharu said softly, "Mr. Yuzuru, I want to see you privately this time. Don't inform Mr. Hirano or your female partner. Only you need to come to see me."

This request was the same as Mrs. Abu's, and Masahiro Hanyu hesitated somewhat.

"Mrs. Nagiharu should know about Okita Kyoku. Mr. Hirano sent him to supervise the investigation, and if I go to see you without informing him, I would be breaking our agreement. After all, so many security personnel will know if I go to see you; it's impossible to hide it."

"No one will know!" Mrs. Nagiharu said confidently. "This time, my meeting with Mr. Yuzuru will not be at the place where we met last time. It will be at an address that Hirano Shōmei doesn't even know about. What I want to tell Mr. Yuzuru might help us find the murderer as soon as possible."

She paused for a moment, then added, "But before we meet, Mr. Yuzuru needs to shake off all his pursuers so that we can meet in a place you've never been before."

"It is now 1:29 PM. Please arrive at the men's restroom on the third floor of Tokyu Department Store at 3:00 PM sharp. Someone will then guide you to see me."

Tokyu Department Store is not far from Showa Building, less than a ten-minute walk. Did Mrs. Nagiharu choose that place because she already knew his current location was in Showa Building?

Masahiro Hanyu's eyes scanned the surroundings, making it difficult for him to spot the person following him amidst the bustling crowd.

Lady Nagiharu even had a hidden hiding place. How did she manage to evade Hirano Shōmei's surveillance? After all, she was always accompanied by security personnel when she went out. Yuzuru Masahiro was equally curious about this.

"Okay, but how can I determine that the person contacting me was appointed by Madam?"

"This is exactly what I was going to tell Mr. Yuzuru. The man was wearing a silver ring on the ring finger of his left hand, with a pattern of a three-legged crow and a tiger's face engraved on it."

Masato Kamishiro wore a silver ring on each of his fingers. Masahiro Hanyu had a photographic memory, and he clearly remembered that the ring on the left ring finger of Okubo's mother had a three-legged crow and a simplified tiger face.

Things were getting more and more interesting, and Masahiro Hanyu felt he was getting more and more clues.

"Yes, Mrs. Nagiharu, I understand."

Masahiro Hanyu returned to the 7th floor of the Showa Building. He is now an employee of the Nagasawa Architectural Office. If he needs to leave, he needs to ask for leave.

Upon entering, the receptionist politely stood up and said, "Hello, Mr. Yamamoto, Department Head Nagasawa is waiting for you."

He just spoke with Yui Satsuki this morning, and now he wants to see her again? Has the investigation department replied?

Upon entering the minister's office, I saw Yui Satsuki holding a cup of coffee, standing by the window with her back to the door.

She was wearing a business suit: a blazer, a high-waisted pencil skirt, black stockings, and high heels.

Black stockings covered her long, shapely legs, making her skin appear even whiter and more delicate. The straight, smooth lines of her legs were gently concealed by the hem of her skirt, and every line exuded a restrained charm.

Masahiro Yuzuru sighed inwardly, "It is indeed tempting. No wonder my predecessor always fantasized about it in his dreams. He had seen it more than once, but he was still attracted to it."

Yui Satsuki turned around. "According to the investigation department, when you met with Abu Mizuren, three people were secretly following you, including Kyoku Okita, a member of the East Asia Association."

The investigation department's methods were indeed brilliant; they were able to identify people he couldn't detect at all.

Three people? He only noticed the person monitoring him with binoculars. Perhaps that was Okita Kyōkyū. After all, monitoring with binoculars was a common tactic of the East Asia Association. That's how his new address was found.

"Oh, are the people from the investigation department following me too? Their methods are indeed sophisticated; I had no idea."

Yui Satsuki slowly took a sip of coffee, then quickly licked her red lips with the tip of her tongue to make sure there was no coffee residue left.

Since becoming partners with Masahiro Hanyu, she has become more conscious of her image in front of him, without even realizing it herself.

"It's not stalking, it's protection. Not only protecting you in secret, but also protecting me. Inoue Kazuhiko and Yonemura Nako are just peripheral members. The Fusei-kai is actually very dangerous, so we can't let our guard down."

Yuzuru Masahiro straightened his expression and asked, "Does the president mean that the investigation department has agreed to my conditions?"

Yui Satsuki nodded slightly. "Yes, the investigation department will secretly assist Yuzuru-kun in finding out as soon as possible who orchestrated the assassination of Lady Nagiharu."

"Once you have completed Hirano Shōmei's request, you can then fully focus on investigating the Fusei-kai. However, during this time, you must maintain communication with Yonemura Nako."

"However, assisting Yuzuru-kun in the investigation can only be limited to protecting you; we will not use manpower to help you investigate specific matters."

"The East Asia Association is a yakuza organization. If they mistakenly believe that you, Yuzuru, are from the Metropolitan Police Department, they might take extreme measures against you. Not only would it be dangerous, but you would also lose your commission."

The investigation department's considerations were thorough, and Masahiro Hanyu nodded in agreement.

Yui Satsuki walked to the desk, put down her coffee cup, picked up a piece of paper, and handed it to Masahiro Hanyu.

"To make it easier and faster to deliver this message to you, here's some information that can be represented by numbers. Write it down and then destroy it."

Masahiro Hanyu took the paper, which was covered with dense writing, starting with the number "0" and then moving on to combinations of numbers, each representing a different meaning.

He carefully put the paper away, preparing to memorize it meticulously. Even with his photographic memory, he couldn't be careless.

He instinctively felt that timely and effective information might save his life, after all, investigating the killer and the Fusheng Society were dangerous commissions.

After leaving the Showa Building, at 3:00 PM, Masahiro Hanyu entered the restroom on the third floor of the Tokyu Department Store.

After relieving himself, he was fastening his belt when someone walked past him and deliberately waved their arm in front of him.

Masahiro Hanyu clearly saw the ring on his left ring finger, with its three-legged crow and tiger stripes. He also recognized who the person who had come to contact him was.

She was the female bodyguard protecting Mrs. Nagiharu, and the one who led him to the garage to inspect the Honda NSX.

Although she was dressed in men's clothing, wearing a wig and a beard, Masahiro Hanyu still recognized her at a glance.

The female bodyguard shoved a note into his hand that read: Jump out the window in two minutes.