Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Yamamoto Koji stood outside the apartment building, followed by his assistant Yoshioka Akio.

After Kenkichi Kuwata's death, the Metropolitan Police Department established a Special Investigations Division, mainly to deal with gang warfare, prevent street shootouts, and arrest attackers. They had little time to investigate the specific cause of Kuwata's death.

To be honest, the higher-ups in the Metropolitan Police Department don't care who killed Kenkichi Kuwata, nor do they expect to bring the murderer to court—there are too many dogfights among the underworld, and they simply can't manage them all.

Yamamoto Koji was a seasoned veteran. While his colleagues were all overwhelmed with the fire incident, he took the initiative to approach the head of the Special Investigation Division and took over the investigation of the murder case, taking charge of investigating the victim's social circle.

Besides those yakuza members he couldn't afford to offend, Kuwata Kenkichi also had several sons who all worked in the Kanto yakuza. Yamamoto Koji wouldn't go to such lengths to cause trouble for them.

After asking around carefully, he finally found an easy target—Kenkichi Kuwata had an illegitimate daughter in the port area, a fact known only to a handful of people.

The deceased happened to have been to the Minato Ward the day before the incident, so perhaps some clues can be found.

Using this as a starting point, Yamamoto Koji led a group to talk to the illegitimate daughter.

Akio Yoshioka expressed his incomprehension. He had kept quiet the whole way, but now he couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice, "Boss, why did we take on such a tough job?"

"Baka! Use your brain!" Yamamoto Koji admonished his junior. "Dealing with street fights means going to the front lines. If you get hit by a stray bullet, you'll either be dead or crippled!"

"But going to the front lines has earned you merit." Yoshioka Akio was at the age where he was eager to fight and compete.

"We also deserve credit for our investigations. We don't have to go to the front lines, we won't offend any gangs, and there's no danger at all... If you come across such a good job in the future, you must be eager to take it," Yamamoto Koji earnestly advised.

"Hmm..." Akio Yoshioka thought it made sense, "But what if we can't find the killer?"

"They did work hard too." Yamamoto Koji paused and said, "If all else fails, just say the murderer has already been killed by the Sumiyoshi-kai... So many people have died in the fire these past two days, just find a dead person to take the blame."

"Wow, boss, you're a genius!" Yoshioka Akio felt he had made the right choice in following the right person.

Yamamoto Koji was quite pleased and was about to offer a few more words of advice when the door creaked open, and Komi Yui stood in the doorway, her hazy eyes fixed on the source of the sound:

Who is it?

The smell of disinfectant wafted from inside the house, mixed with a faint odor of blood.

Seeing this, Yamamoto Koji raised an eyebrow, first waving his hand in front of Koji's face to make sure she couldn't see him, then turning to the side and peering into the room, where he caught a glimpse of a man's figure.

"I am Detective Yamamoto Koji from the First Investigative Division of the Metropolitan Police Department."

Although it wasn't necessary, he still showed his identification: "You are involved in a murder case and we need your cooperation in questioning."

"Huh?" Komi Yui exclaimed in surprise, "What murder case?"

Yamamoto Koji glanced into the room again and said, "Would it be convenient to go inside and discuss the details?"

"Oh, my apologies, please come in." Komi Yui stepped aside to make way, her guide cane bracing against the doorframe.

The two entered one after the other, looking Yuan Zhensheng up and down. The latter sat cross-legged at the table, pretending to be clueless as he ate a melon.

There was a bloody smell and bandages in the room. If he hid, it would only arouse more suspicion. It would be better to use Suzuki Shinya's face and appear openly to try to reduce suspicion.

"Please sit down." Koji poured two cups of barley tea and said, "I haven't encountered anything these past two days. What kind of murder case are you involved in?"

"Don't rush into discussing the case." Yamamoto Koji looked at Hara Masaki and asked, "And this gentleman is...?"

"I am Shinya Suzuki. What can I do for you?" Hara Masaki said.

"What's your relationship with me?" Yamamoto Koji asked.

"Boyfriend/girlfriend..." Hara Masaki looked Yamamoto Koji up and down: "Are you really a detective?"

Koji's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't expose him.

"Hey! Answer the police's questions! Don't say anything irrelevant!" Akio Yoshioka threatened with a tongue flick.

"Alright, alright, stop yelling." Yamamoto Koji played the bad cop, pulling out his police ID again: "Is this proof enough?"

"Oh." Yuan Zhensheng looked annoyed. "What is it?"

"What happened to your injuries?" Yamamoto Koji asked.

"None of your business," Yuan Zhensheng said.

"What are you doing?!" Yoshioka Akio reached out and grabbed Hara Masaki's collar. "You want a beating, huh?! Get your attitude straight!!"

"The police are beating people! The police are beating people!" Hara Masaki yelled. "Go ahead and kill me if you dare! Tomorrow's Asahi Shimbun headline will be 'Police Murder'!"

Akio Yoshioka was furious and raised his fist to strike, but Koji Yamamoto quickly stopped him, saying, "Alright, alright, stop wasting your breath on this guy."

He guessed that this guy was a street thug or an unemployed bum, most likely pursuing Komi Yui, and after being discovered by Kuwata Kenkichi, he got a beating; Komi Yui was soft-hearted, so she bandaged and treated him...

Yamamoto Koji was confident in his ability to judge people accurately; after just a few words, he could guess most of the other person's background.

If the person who assassinated Kuwata Kenkichi were truly guilty, they wouldn't be openly eating melons at the victim's daughter's house and not running away when the police arrived.

Having dispelled any doubts, Yamamoto Koji got straight to the point:

"It's like this, Ms. Komi, do you know Kenkichi Kuwata?"

Komi Yui shook her head and said, "I don't know him... I've never heard of him."

"Really? Are you sure?" Yamamoto Koji took out a photo of Kuwata Kenkichi, then remembered that Komi Yui couldn't see it, so he said, "I found reliable information that he came by yesterday... It's said that you two are father and daughter."

"Huh?" Koji was taken aback. "My father's name is Koji Jin."

"Really?" Yamamoto Koji asked, slightly surprised. "What does your father do?"

"He...he's a real estate agent..." Koji Yui's voice trembled as she groped her way to the counter, picked up the landline, and said, "Wait a moment, I'll make a call."

"Please go ahead," said Yamamoto Koji.

Komi Yui dialed that familiar number again, but no one answered.

She made over a dozen calls, her initial anxiety gradually turning into fear, and finally, with a blank expression, she gently put down the receiver and asked, "...What happened?"

Yamamoto Koji did not hide anything and explained the true identity of Kuwata Kenkichi and the events surrounding his murder the previous day. He also asked Komi Yui if she could provide any clues to help them catch the real culprit as soon as possible.

"I...I don't know anything," Komi Yui said in a dry voice.

Yamamoto Koji had already realized that Kuwata Kenkichi had never allowed his illegitimate daughter to come into contact with the underworld, so he was unlikely to get any useful information out of her. He wasn't surprised by this response.

"Is that so? I'm sorry to have bothered you." He stood up to take his leave.

"Um... take care, I won't see you off." Komi Yui said with her head down.

Yamamoto Koji and Yoshioka Akio left one after the other, and Hara Masao got up to help close the door. When he turned around, he saw Komi Yui kneeling by the table, her hands covering her face, her shoulders shaking, and she was sobbing softly.

Tears slipped through her fingers.

Yuan Zhensheng stood aside, his heart filled with mixed feelings, unsure of what to say.