The Tokyo Police Journey Begins with the Ability to See Evil Thoughts

In early April, the long rainy season arrived, and Shibuya was filled with a chill.

Inside the police station, Gen Kamiya was organizing the cases in his hands, finally getting a chance to work seriously after a long time.

"Why do I get the feeling that you've been seeing Inspector Muhe lately...?"

As Takeuchi Takayuki sipped his tea, he paused, then said awkwardly, "Why do you keep slipping up as you get older? You should be Inspector Kihachi now. Why is your relationship with her so strange lately?"

Actually, the relationship between the two in the past was also very strange. They clearly looked like a couple and did things that only couples would do.

For example, they would investigate cases together, come to work together, and eat together from time to time, but no matter how people around them asked, Kamiya Gen and Kiha Yu would always answer with something like "How could that be?"

There's no need to go through all this trouble with a secret relationship, is there?

But in Takeuchi Takayuki's view, things are much stranger now than before... or rather, much more interesting.

Today alone, Kamiya Gen has subconsciously glanced at Mokuha Yuzu in the distance no less than five times, and quickly looked away after being caught by her.

As for Inspector Muhe, things are still the same as before, and it seems that since becoming an inspector, he has worked even harder, with endless things to do all day long.

What exactly happened?

In the eyes of Takeuchi Takayuki, a gossipy man, it was most likely due to a change in position. Originally both were police inspectors, poor Kamiya was now being overshadowed by the other. Although Inspector Kiha had not abused his power or put on any airs, the saying "what is said in jest may be taken to heart" still applies here.

Young people are those whose state of mind is affected by small things.

It's impossible for me. After all, all my colleagues who could endure have already left. I'm quite content with being a police inspector. I can retire in a few more years. If possible, I can take my family to settle abroad. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Takeuchi Takayuki asked again.

Kamiya Gen sighed helplessly: "Didn't you see how much I have on my plate? I don't know why, but these past few days have been filled with cases, and they're all incredibly troublesome."

"It's because you're not focused on your work, otherwise you would have finished it already. Tell me what's going on between you two, it's been days since I've seen you act normally."

"Isn't that normal?" Kamiya Gendo asked.

He genuinely thought it was normal.

And it's perfectly normal!

It was so normal, as if nothing had happened a few nights ago.

That night, Yuzu kissed him by the river, and not just once, but when Kamiya asked him about it later, Yuzu gave him a "???" look, as if he was talking in his sleep.

How could I forget? She was obviously faking it; the alcohol content of the subsequent case of wine was ridiculously low.

Takeuchi Takayuki chuckled after hearing this, put down his teacup, moved closer to him, and lowered his voice:

"I'm not blind. You glanced at her several times this morning."

Kamiya Gen paused, slammed the file on the table, and said irritably, "Senior, you're supposed to be at work, why are you staring at me all day? I was checking for new investigation notices over there, not anything else."

"A notice for assistance in the investigation?"

Takayuki Takeuchi raised an eyebrow, giving him a "I know you too well" look. "Inspector Kihashi is inside writing a report, where would he get a request for assistance to show you? Don't give me that, are you having a tiff?"

He paused, then added, as if he knew best, "I knew it! Are you upset that she got promoted to inspector? They were equals, but now that she's an inspector, you can't bring yourself to do it?"

Kamiya Gen rolled his eyes, picked up a pen, and scribbled a couple of lines on the document: "Am I that kind of person?"

"Why is that?"

Takeuchi Takayuki became even more curious and leaned closer. "Could it be that you were rejected after confessing your feelings? That can't be right. Given the situation between you two before, it should have been easy for you to succeed."

Kamiya Gen was taken aback by these words, and lowered his voice to complain, "There was nothing going on before, it was only recently... okay, someone did something and then pretended to have amnesia, acting like nothing happened. What do you think I should do in this situation, senpai?"

Upon hearing this, Takeuchi Takayuki's eyes lit up instantly, his gossip-loving nature blazing: "Oh? What's up? You two..."

"stop!"

Kamiya Gen immediately raised his hand to stop him, afraid that he would say something outrageous. "Don't ask any more questions. That's just how it is. You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"How come I don't understand?"

Takeuchi Takayuki chuckled, patted him on the shoulder, and said with the air of someone who'd been there all along, "Young people are bound to be shy, it's normal. This young lady just got promoted, and she'll have to maintain the airs of a police inspector at work. She's a bit shy and hesitant to acknowledge it. Why don't you just take the initiative? You can't expect the girl to make the first move, can you?"

"initiative?"

Kamiya Gen chuckled, recalling how he had tried to subtly probe her several times, only to have Muhe You either pretend not to understand or directly change the subject, giving him a "what nonsense are you talking about" look. Speechless, he said, "I took the initiative, but she wouldn't admit it. I can't force her to admit it, can I?"

As they were talking, footsteps came from the corridor. Mu Heyou walked over carrying a stack of documents, her clothes still damp from the rain outside, and her hair was covered with a few specks of water vapor.

She paused for a moment when she saw the two of them together, then nodded to Kamiya Gen: "Kamiya-kun, Inspector Sakamoto wants you to take over the case file of yesterday's theft."

Seeing her completely unmoved expression, Kamiya Gen gave a curt reply:

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Muheyou didn't linger; she nodded and left with the documents in her arms.

After she walked away, Takeuchi Takayuki nudged Kamiya Gen with his elbow and winked, "See? What did I tell you? She's avoiding you at work! Now that she's been promoted to inspector, she can't be joking around with you like before. I have a plan. After get off work today, invite her out for coffee. You're both staying at a hotel now, so there'll definitely be an opportunity..."

Watching Yuzuki's disappearing figure, Kamiya Gen sighed helplessly and threw his pen on the table: "You'd better not try to trick me again. This time, I'd rather die than take the bait again."

"How could it be a hook? I'm really trying to help you..."

Kamiya Gen didn't say anything, picked up the files on the table and stood up: "Alright, senior, I'm going to deliver the documents. You don't need to give me any more advice."

Seeing that the fun was gone, Takeuchi Takayuki began to feel bored again and could only lower his head and go back to work.

……

Meanwhile, Kamiya Gen, holding the organized theft case file, knocked on Sakamoto's office door.

"Inspector Sakamoto, here's the file you requested."

He placed the documents on his desk, preparing to leave, but was stopped by Sakamoto.

"Inspector Kamiya, wait a moment, have a seat, let's chat for a bit."

Sakamoto put down his pen, pointed to the chair opposite his desk, and wore his usual gentle smile, though a hint of melancholy lingered in his eyes.

Kamiya Gen raised an eyebrow, but still pulled up a chair and sat down. He already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on—it was most likely about the dormitory collapse.

"Let me tell you first, you've already received the promised compensation of 300,000 yuan in cash. As for the remaining 200,000 yuan, I've already spoken with the general affairs department, and it will definitely be deposited into your account on payday without any delay."

Sakamoto first offered a favor, speaking with exceptional politeness, "And as for the hotel, the department has already signed a long-term agreement with the cooperating hotel, so you can stay here without worry. All expenses will be covered by the department. The selection of the site and the renovation of the new dormitory are also underway."

"Thank you for your help, Inspector Sakamoto."

Kamiya Gen nodded and responded politely.

"It's not so much a problem as it is a real headache, it's just that the dormitory collapsed."

Sakamoto sighed and steered the conversation toward the old story of the dormitory's construction. "As you know, this building was built almost fifteen years ago. The construction company that was responsible for its construction went bankrupt and went into liquidation seven or eight years ago. The logistics director in charge of the project at the time has long since retired and returned to his hometown. Now, it's impossible to find anyone you know well."

He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and added with a wry smile, "Besides, the construction standards back then were different from now. Old buildings are inevitably aging and in disrepair. Nobody expected that a relatively minor earthquake would cause the entire building to collapse. It's fortunate that no one was in the building at the time, and there were no casualties. Otherwise, this would have been a real disaster."

Kamiya Gen didn't respond, but he knew perfectly well that the other party had laid out so much just to show that this was an old, unresolved matter that couldn't be investigated, and there was no need to keep bringing it up.

Sure enough, Sakamoto changed the subject, his tone becoming even more worried: "Originally, according to Superintendent Saionji, we should first settle your resettlement and compensation, then quietly check the records from that year internally, rectify any hidden dangers, and that would be the end of the matter. But as you know, Inspector Kihara is very particular; he can't tolerate even the slightest imperfection. These past two days, he's determined to keep a close eye on this matter."

He leaned forward, lowered his voice, and adopted a heartfelt tone:

"I heard from the general affairs department that Inspector Muhe cornered them in his office yesterday and demanded all the original construction contracts, completion and acceptance reports, and even the original material purchase ledgers and supervision records. It's clear that he wants to thoroughly investigate this matter and find out who is responsible."

"Inspector Sakamoto, there's no point in telling me this."

Kamiya Gen shrugged helplessly. "You know Inspector Kiha's temper. Once she's made up her mind, not even ten oxen could pull her back."

"Others' advice is useless, but yours is different."

Sakamoto immediately replied, his tone earnest, "Everyone in the police station knows that Inspector Kiha listens to you the most. In all those difficult cases before, every time you spoke up, she listened to you. If others spoke up, she would only think that we were trying to cover up the problem, which would only make her more resistant. But you are different. You have worked on cases together for so long, she trusts you."

As he spoke, he began to complain again, his words dripping with sympathy, and he frowned and said in a low voice:

"Inspector Kamiya, let me be frank with you, this matter really can't be investigated too deeply. There are too many people involved in what happened back then, not only the retired senior leaders in the department, but also the construction company and the supervisor from back then. Now, they can either not be found or have long since left their posts. If we investigate further, it will just be a complete mess. In the end, not only will the department be branded as having failed in its supervision, but we who are still in office will inevitably be punished and made the scapegoats."

"Inspector Muhe has a strong background and his family is well-connected. After the investigation, nothing happened to him. But it's different for people like us."

Sakamoto sighed, his tone full of helplessness. "I've worked at the police station for almost thirty years, and I only have a few years left before retirement. If I stumble because of this, even my retirement pension will be affected."

He looked at Kamiya Gen, his tone becoming increasingly earnest: "I know it's a bit difficult for you to go and persuade them, but think about it, investigating this matter won't do you any good. The compensation has already been sufficient, and the resettlement has been arranged properly. If you insist on holding on to it, and in the end the whole police department knows about it, it will be difficult to explain to Superintendent Saionji. Even if Inspector Kihara finds out something, it may not be able to get a satisfactory result for her. Instead, you'll offend a lot of people, which is not worth it."

Of course, Kamiya Gen knew that investigating this matter further would be pointless. Kiha Yu's absolute principles of justice would only make him furious when faced with such a long-standing and unresolved issue, and he would not gain anything in return.

He was silent for a moment, then said to Sakamoto, "Inspector Sakamoto, I can pass on your message, but I can't guarantee she'll listen to it."

"It's good that you're willing to help by speaking up; it's a hundred times better than us trying to persuade them."

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you can help persuade her to stop dwelling on this matter, we will cooperate without hesitation if she needs our assistance later."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Kamiya Gen got up and left the office.

As soon as I stepped into the corridor, I saw Muheyou carrying a thick stack of documents, walking from the direction of the General Affairs Department. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her face was serious, and even her steps were heavier than usual, clearly indicating that she had acquired some materials again.

"Wait... there's something I want to tell you."

"Is there something you need, Kamiya-kun?" Yuzuki stopped in her tracks.

"What case file are you holding? Why is it so thick?" Kamiya Gen asked.

"This...?"

Mu Heyou didn't hide anything and handed it to him, "This is the information about the dormitory collapse. Do you want to take a look? Never mind, you can just take a look. Anyway, you'll definitely have to help me when I open a case for investigation later."

Kamiya Gen was very unhappy with the word "certain" in her words, but he still accepted it.

"This is too much... Let me see, is it really going back ten years?"

"Ten years isn't enough. This 'Kurosawa Construction' is just a middleman; we still need to find the information on the renovation company that built the dormitory..."

"This case is far too complicated..."

Kamiya Gen looked up at her and said slowly, "Could you please not include me in this? I have a lot of things to do too."

What does Kamiya-kun think?

"I feel like you're not ready to say yes at all..."

Kiku smiled slightly, as if she had just realized something, and said, "I suddenly realized that the rank of police inspector has some real advantages. Now, if I arrange for Kamiya-kun to participate in the investigation, you won't have an excuse to refuse, will you?"

"Want to talk about this case tonight? You've been coming back to your hotel room very late for the past few days, and I haven't had a chance to see you..." Kamiya Gen finally said.