Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Akio Yoshioka has been working hard on the case these past few days.

Although Section Chief Yamamoto always taught him the art of slacking off, he still wanted to do something practical, otherwise he wouldn't feel at ease receiving his salary and would feel guilty.

Besides, what if he gets lucky and actually catches the assassin?

The chances of solving the case are slim, but if you don't try, you'll never have a chance. Akio Yoshioka's father works at the train station and is a key figure in the baby boomer generation. Growing up surrounded by this environment, he has a relatively traditional mindset and believes that hard work will pay off.

Section Chief Yamamoto always said he was stupid, dumb, and inflexible, not even as bright as that patrolman named Hara Chisei.

Akio Yoshioka would always scratch his head and apologize, harboring a strong desire to prove that he was no less capable than the patrol officers—the more Section Chief Yamamoto said this, the harder he worked to investigate the case.

He only slept a few hours in the past two or three days. He not only questioned relevant witnesses, but also inquired with gangsters and information brokers, not letting go of any relevant clues... In short, it was very hard work.

After all, he was the only one in the special investigation team who was tracking down the real culprit.

Based on the features of "silent silencer" and "perfect face-swapping imitation", Akio Yoshioka combined the Akiyama Miki suicide case and the Kuwata Kenkichi assassination case and actually found something.

As far as he knew, Miki Akiyama was a member of the Momo Love & Dating Telephone Club and had frequented the club many times.

He found the list of male members of the phone club, filtered out those who had spoken to Miki Akiyama, and after careful questioning, discovered that Miki Akiyama had told many strange men that she "wanted her husband to die" and "wouldn't it be nice to get rid of her husband"...

Furthermore, Miki Akiyama has hinted to certain men that she "hopes someone will help her get rid of her husband" and "help her kill her husband"...

As it turned out, her husband did die of a heart attack, and she herself died at his funeral.

Highly suspicious.

Akio Yoshioka continued his investigation and uncovered a new clue: Eiji Satake, the mastermind behind the telephone club, absconded with the money on the afternoon of the day Kenkichi Kuwata died (he died in the early morning), and the telephone club was handed over to the manager to operate.

This knock on the door is suspicious, extremely suspicious.

If it were an elite student from the University of Tokyo, with this information, they would have already deduced that the killer was a professional hitman and the telephone club was a transaction site; unfortunately, Yoshioka Akio's brain wasn't working properly, and he couldn't deduce anything useful.

He only knew that the telephone club was problematic and planned to investigate further, vaguely feeling that there was hope of solving the case.

You might get a promotion and a raise!

Akio Yoshio even fantasized that Section Chief Yamamoto would pat him on the shoulder with a guilty look on his face and admit, "I'm sorry, I underestimated you. You're not stupid at all. You're the most hardworking man in the entire police station..."

It's cool to think about it.

Tonight, Akio Yoshioka was summoned to the police station office, where the chief told him that he had been suspended from duty.

Akio Yoshioka was stunned on the spot.

He initially suspected the director had made a mistake and repeatedly asked for the reason. The director impatiently replied, "Alright, alright, this is a decision from above. Just do as it's told."

"Why? What did I do wrong?" Akio Yoshioka asked, confused.

"I don't know the specific reason either. It might be... well, an internal investigation, or a job adjustment. Anyway, go back and rest for a few days and wait for further notice." The director waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he could leave.

The reason is actually quite simple: Shinomiya Masakazu noticed that someone had found out about the phone club, and casually instructed his secretary to suspend the detective who found the clue.

We can't investigate everything, can we?

Some things are weightless until weighed, but once weighed, they can be as heavy as a thousand pounds. If we really investigate further, wouldn't his hiring of hitmen be exposed?

Akio Yoshioka, unaware of the truth, found it difficult to accept at first.

But he didn't dare to challenge the director, so he could only walk out of the office sullenly. When he returned to his workstation, the grown man's eyes were red.

Why should I?

He was about to find out the truth!

Yamamoto Koji was lounging with his legs crossed, casually flipping through a gossip magazine, when he noticed his subordinate's odd expression and casually asked, "What's wrong? Did you get yelled at?"

Akio Yoshioka explained that he had been suspended, his head bowed and a look of dejection on his face. Finally, he couldn't help but say, "Boss... I'm sorry, I should have listened to you... If I had listened to you, this wouldn't have happened."

He could almost picture how his boss would scold him next:

"Baka! I told you so! What's with all the investigating! Now you know how dangerous it is, right?" "You idiot, you wasted all that effort, got yourself suspended, are you happy now?"

He was even mentally prepared to be yelled at by his boss, or to be completely abandoned and ignored. After all, he was indeed stupid and clumsy, not as quick-witted as the patrolman.

However, after listening, Yamamoto Koji closed the magazine, casually tossed it on the table, stood up, said "Wait," and walked straight to the director's office.

"Boss, where are you going?" Akio Yoshioka asked, looking up.

Yamamoto Koji didn't answer. He didn't even knock on the office door. He walked in, closed the blinds, and started cursing at a volume that everyone could hear.

"Baka yarou! What does this mean?! What did that kid Yoshioka do wrong? You're suspending him?!"

"Above? Which above? Which blind bastard told you to suspend my man?! Does he really think I'm easy to bully? Does he think I'm above everyone else?!"

He got more and more into cursing, and you could even hear him slamming his fist on the table.

"What kind of bullshit internal investigation! Job reassignment?! Don't try to fool me with that! I've worked in the First Investigation Division for over a decade, what kind of shady dealings haven't I seen?!"

……

Outside the office, the previously noisy First Investigation Division fell silent instantly.

All the officers stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the closed blinds of the chief's office.

Some veteran detectives showed a hint of admiration and muttered, "No wonder he's Section Chief Yamamoto..."; while some younger officers looked surprised, not expecting that the section chief, who usually seemed a bit slick, would dare to directly challenge the chief.

Akio Yoshioka, standing next to his workstation, was completely stunned.

"Boss..."

Akio Yoshio's eyes reddened even more.

It turned out that his previous efforts had all been seen by the boss. He suddenly realized that following a boss like this was worth it, even if he was called stupid or dumb.

Four or five minutes later, the cursing grew quieter and the conversation became less clear; ten minutes later, Yamamoto Koji came out with a gloomy face, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. He looked down to light it, but his lighter was out of fuel.

"Damn it, what bad luck," he said.

With tears welling in his eyes, Yoshioka Akio leaned closer, wanting to say something to express his heartfelt feelings, but because he was tongue-tied, he could only manage to utter, "Boss..."

"Alright, stop acting like that." Yamamoto Koji took the opportunity to lecture him: "Only by being a capable man can you have the audacity to steal a paycheck."

"Then... can the case still be investigated?" Yoshioka Akio asked with a hint of anticipation.

"No, the water's too deep, don't investigate," Yamamoto Koji said.

He just found out that it was the secretary of Representative Shinomiya who relayed the message, which is basically equivalent to Shinomiya Masakazu personally instructing Yoshioka Akio to be suspended from his post.

What's the point of investigating this?!