Tokyo Swordmaster Online Dealer

"This guy looks like he's only in his early twenties, but he's already a police inspector? Is he the son of some powerful family? Or does he have special talents from some [special operations department]?"

The position of "Inspector" is neither high nor low in Sakuradamon. It is indeed not considered a high-ranking position. After all, this is the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. A police inspector who can smash a lot of people if you throw a brick in is just a deputy inspector.

Inspector is the starting point of the Japanese police career group - elite police officers who pass the "National First-Class Civil Service Examination" start as inspector general.

It is also the end point of the non-professional group - policemen who have only taken local examinations and are local civil servants will never achieve more than a police lieutenant in their lifetime.

But Akutagawa Ryunosuke was too young. If he didn't wear such a formal trench coat and hat, Uesugi Kiyoshi would even think that he was not even older than himself.

This also made him suspicious, but he did not show it. Instead, he greeted Akutagawa Ryunosuke as usual and even made a little joke.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke didn't take Uesugi Kiyoshi's teasing seriously. He didn't respond to the conversation. Instead, he opened the notebook in his hand, twirled a pen, looked at Uesugi Kiyoshi with a meaningful look, and then spoke slowly.

"I won't ask about the nonsense of recording basic information. As for me, I did a little research on you before coming here, Uesugi-kun."

"You have a clean family background, no criminal record, and you are an excellent scholar in school with a good reputation. I heard that your ideal university is the University of Tokyo? Then maybe we will become alumni in the future."

From the looks of it, it seems that Akutagawa Ryunosuke graduated from the University of Tokyo - this diploma is a stepping stone to Japan's upper class society.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke has a friendly smile and gentle tone, which can make strangers feel good about him, just like a spring breeze. He is also quite skillful in speaking. He picks up what others like to say, which is very helpful in narrowing the distance with people he meets for the first time.

Uesugi Kiyoshi doesn't buy it.

The corners of his mouth curved into a smirk.

"There, Inspector Akutagawa is already able to take charge at a young age. He is truly a young man with great potential. I am just a firefly, so I dare not compete with the bright moon."

"If you have anything to say, Inspector Akutagawa, just ask me directly. I will tell you everything I know and will not hide anything."

The two of them looked at each other with fake smiles, like two little foxes scheming against each other - neither of them was easy to deal with.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke touched his smooth chin, nodded gently, and said thoughtfully: "In this case, I will speak frankly, Uesugi-kun--"

"I want to know how you killed Yokotano. Can you tell me?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows, narrowed his fox eyes, and the smile on his face became a little cold. It was indeed the case that good people don't come.

Just as soon as someone comes along, he's accused of murder?

He did not argue in a panic or retort angrily, but spoke in his usual calm tone.

"Inspector Akutagawa may have misunderstood something. I did not [kill] Mr. Yokota. All I did was [self-defense]."

"I explained what happened to a police officer at the scene. When I visited him, I saw a bloody hell-like scene with corpses all over the floor. Mr. Yokota was kneeling in front of an empty shrine with a weird look on his face, as if he was possessed by a ghost. When he saw me coming in, he attacked me with a knife without saying anything. I had no choice but to fight back."

"During the fight, I successfully snatched Mr. Yokota's bone-chopping knife, leaving a wound on his back, and also slashed his chest with a wooden sword, but this was definitely not enough to kill an adult male on the spot. I learned kendo, Inspector Akutagawa, I am sure of this."

"As for Mr. Yokota's death, I have no explanation. He suddenly became hideous and in pain during the fight, and his whole body was wrapped in a strange mist. He struggled and rolled on the ground for a few times, and then he stopped moving. I was hit hard by Mr. Yokota several times, and my physical condition was not good. I had a chance to catch my breath, so I immediately called the police."

"I believe that all the evidence at the scene can confirm what I said, and Xingzi can also serve as my witness."

"I don't think Mr. Yokota's death has anything to do with me. If you don't think so and can provide sufficient evidence to prove that I was responsible for Mr. Yokota's death, then I will not argue. I am willing to plead guilty and pay the price for my actions."

"But, can you really provide evidence?"

"So, Inspector Akutagawa, if you're still using that set of inducing rhetoric to frame me and put psychological pressure on me to make me confess a crime, you'd better stop it."

"I'm not the ignorant kid you think I am!"

"I also earn money by working part-time, so I'm a taxpayer. You are a police officer, and I have an obligation to cooperate with your work, but please also correct your attitude a little." - This is actually nonsense. Students who work part-time don't have to pay taxes. Uesugi Kiyoshi is just talking nonsense in order to gain the upper hand in momentum.

"I am willing to talk to you both publicly and privately, but if you are not sincere, I will not say another word until the lawyer comes."

Uesugi Kiyoshi first recounted what happened, flatly denying that he had anything to do with Yokotano's death, and also covered up the cause of Yokotano's death by pretending to know nothing about it - all of this was quite believable, provided that he was really an ordinary person.

Then, he made two sarcastic remarks to Akutagawa Ryunosuke in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, and his attitude became tougher.

There is no way. Good people are often bullied. If he behaves too timidly, that is a sign of guilty conscience. Only such reasonable and well-founded speech without any guilt can sometimes win people's trust.

If Akutagawa Ryunosuke didn't know Uesugi Kiyoshi's background, he might have been speechless after being criticized like this.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke clicked his tongue twice, paused the pen in his hand on the notebook, and smudged some ink.

He also narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair with a playful expression.

"Lawyer? Uesugi-kun seems to be living in poverty. You can't afford those big lawyers. Are you going to apply for legal aid? Excuse me, the lawyers assigned to legal aid by the government are all novices, and their level is really average. He can afford it, but can you?"

"What about your studies? What about your reputation? What about your bright future?"

"Although this is just the first time that Uesugi-kun and I have met, I would like to say that this is just my personal judgment. Please forgive me if I have offended you!"

"I don't think that Uesugi-kun, who can bravely draw his sword and fight against his enemies, is someone who believes in the law."

Akutagawa Ryunosuke was not affected by Uesugi Kiyoshi at all in the rhythm and momentum of his speech. For a moment, the atmosphere between the two of them was somewhat tit-for-tat.

The smile on Uesugi Kiyoshi's face faded, and he stared at Akutagawa Ryunosuke's smiling eyes with a gloomy face and was silent for a moment.

Then, he shook his head slowly and spoke word by word.

"No, you are wrong, Inspector Akutagawa."

"I am a law-abiding citizen and I believe in the law."

"only."

“I don’t trust some of the people who enforce the law.”

"For example, you?"

Chapter 31 Part-time job

In Japan, which advocates "restraint", "humility" and "politeness", these words of Uesugi Kiyoshi are basically like pointing at someone and cursing in the face.

As if feeling the heaviness of the atmosphere, the smile on Akutagawa Ryunosuke's face grew wider. He shook his head slightly, but his expression did not become nervous.

"Relax, Uesugi-kun, I'm not your enemy."

"."

"At least not now."

Akutagawa Ryunosuke spread his hands, signaling Uesugi Kiyoshi to stay calm, and his words seemed to suggest something.

"Okay, okay, since you're so resistant, let's change the subject."

"First of all, Uesugi-kun, please explain why you appeared at Yokota's house at that time? Don't tell me that you were on your way home."

Akutagawa Ryunosuke became serious and asked a question that a police officer would ask during an interrogation.

Uesugi Kiyoshi already had the answers in mind and answered without thinking.

"Because Xingzi told me that her uncle has become very strange in the past few months, and has some weird worship behaviors. She is also often scolded by her aunt at home. I am afraid that she has been wronged, so I decided to send her home. If there is a chance, I would like to negotiate with her uncle and aunt and try to change their attitude towards Xingzi."

Akutagawa Ryunosuke's smile turned gossipy, and he stretched out his tone and said "oh" in an cadence.

"Well, may I ask, what is the relationship between Nohara Kyoko and Uesugi-kun?"

"Xingzi just confessed to me this afternoon."

Uesugi Kiyoshi played a word game, neither admitting nor denying Akutagawa Ryunosuke's question.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke, however, had an expression that said "I understand" and his look became ambiguous.

"Well, a hero saving a beautiful girl? That's indeed something a boy of this age can do."

"So, I understand why you appeared at the scene, and your motive for attacking - you said it was in self-defense, which makes sense. Yokotano is indeed a murderer, and possibly a lunatic."

"Don't worry, you are a sensible person. I can't accuse you of murder. Even if I want to embarrass you, it will only cause you some trouble. I won't do such a meaningless thing. We don't have any deep hatred."

"What I want to know is how you killed--"

"Oh, sorry, how did you [defeat] Yokotano."

After stating his ultimate goal, Akutagawa Ryunosuke stared at Uesugi Kiyoshi with burning eyes, waiting for his answer.

That's right, he came here for two purposes.

First, he needs to have a general understanding of Uesugi Kiyoshi's strength and judge whether his abilities are related to ghosts and gods. This is very important.

Second, after understanding Uesugi Kiyoshi's strength, he needs to consider how to recruit such a good talent into the organization so that he won't be taken advantage of by others.

Uesugi Kiyoshi was well prepared for this problem.

"I have the Shinkage-ryu's Menkyo Kaiden Seal, and I have been practicing swordsmanship since I was a child, for more than ten years. If I don't even have the basic power to fight the enemy, it would be a waste of my hard work over the past ten years."

When saying this, Uesugi Kiyoshi showed just the right amount of youthful arrogance, and his expression seemed very matter-of-fact.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke shook his head slightly, as if he did not agree with Uesugi Kiyoshi's statement.

"Kendo has its limits, Uesugi-kun. I know many colleagues in the police force who are experts in kendo. They are not the kind of competitive kendo, but the real ancient kendo that kills people."

"So-called swordsmanship is nothing more than a killing technique, and the time when the killing technique can be effective is when the physical fitness of both parties is roughly equal."

"The autopsy results of Yokotano and the on-site investigation results have come out, and through the damage he caused, we have made a basic threat assessment of him."

"It's hard to guess his exact physical strength, but this person's speed and strength are probably more than three times that of an average person. You're a martial artist, so I don't need to explain what this means, right?"

"In a fighting competition, if you are not a heavyweight, the outcome of the fight is not suspenseful. With such a huge difference in physical fitness, you want to fool him with just a few words about kendo. That's really disrespectful of him."

"I won't make it hard on you, Uesugi-kun. Just tell me how you defeated Yokotano, and you can go. So can your little girlfriend."

"Isn't that too much to ask?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi frowned, remained silent for a few seconds, and then shook his head gently.

"I have nothing to say, Inspector Akutagawa. I've said before that it wasn't me who killed Mr. Yokota. Something must have happened to him. He suddenly had many wounds on his body, blood gushed out, and he suddenly fell down."

"Besides, his condition was also very abnormal. With all due respect, he was no longer very human at that time."

"He even had strange horns growing out of his forehead. I thought it was an illusion."

"That's all I know. No matter how much you ask me, I can't tell you anything else."

Uesugi Kiyoshi was too lazy to use honorifics when addressing Akutagawa Ryunosuke. He always felt that this Inspector Akutagawa was a little strange, and the questions he asked were not what an ordinary police officer should ask.

He even felt that Akutagawa Ryunosuke seemed to be more interested in him than Yokotano.

This was not a good sign, he smelled trouble.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke also found Uesugi Kiyoshi's stubbornness a bit difficult to deal with - this young man was so slippery and stubborn that he didn't seem like a 15 or 16-year-old high school student at all.

He was even more flawless in his words. If I hadn't known his background for a long time, I would not have been able to find any clues and he could have easily fooled me.

He sighed, looked at his watch, and felt that if he continued to argue like this, there would probably be no result, so he decided to go straight to the point.

"I understand. I can understand why Uesugi-kun is wary of me. In that case, I will make it clear."