Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 634 - 519: Mutual Convenience, A Miscarriage of Justice, An Uninvited Guest (Vote for Monthly Pass)

Chapter 634: Chapter 519: Mutual Convenience, A Miscarriage of Justice, An Uninvited Guest (Vote for Monthly Pass)

The next morning at eleven o’clock.

The Ministry of Justice’s investigative team arrived discreetly in Sapporo.

Ueda Hikoshu had sent a car to greet them, and as the group leader responsible for the northern squad, Oguma Hideyama smoothly accepted Ueda Hikoshu’s arrangements.

It was mealtime, and naturally, it began with a welcome meal to wash the dust from their travels.

After arriving at the hotel, ordinary members of the investigative team were given one private room, while Oguma Hideyama and other leaders dined with Ueda Hikoshu in another room. Both parties avoided discussing the investigation, instead chatting about less consequential subjects, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Once they had eaten their fill, Ueda Hikoshu smiled and invited Oguma Hideyama, "Oguma-san, how about going up to the rooftop for a smoke and some fresh air?"

Through that meal, Ueda Hikoshu had a good grasp of the other’s character and believed that the feeling was mutual; they both had each other figured out.

"I’d be happy to," Oguma Hideyama nodded in agreement.

Then, the two of them headed to the hotel rooftop alone.

Oguma Hideyama, who was younger and held a lower position, took the initiative to light a cigarette for Ueda Hikoshu and then one for himself. "May I ask what guidance General Ueda has for me, calling me up here? I am all ears."

"Guidance would be too strong a word. You, however, have come wielding the Imperial Sword, aiming to slay the traitorous officials!" Ueda Hikoshu exhaled a cloud of smoke and laughed loudly, pointing at himself in jest, "I just wonder if, in Oguma-san’s eyes, I count as one of those traitors?"

"Not at all, not at all," Oguma Hideyama hastily waved his hands in denial, offering flattery, "General Ueda is a shield of the nation, how could he be associated with traitors?"

"With those words from Oguma-san, I can rest easy," Ueda Hikoshu flicked his ash, his smile fading as he looked on seriously, "Since that is so, let’s not beat around the bush. Where waters are too clear, there are no fish, and corruption exists everywhere, it’s never-ending. To aim for complete eradication would only stir up major chaos."

"I am aware Oguma-san has come with specific goals. If you leave empty-handed, it won’t look good. Why don’t we make things convenient for each other? Enjoy your time here—eat, drink, be merry. We in the military will conduct our own investigation. When you’ve had your fill, I’ll hand over the corrupt officials hidden within our ranks, complete with a solid chain of evidence, guaranteeing you a fruitful return."

Having sensed the goodwill from Oguma Hideyama during the meal, Ueda Hikoshu now spoke so frankly about his own intentions.

"Then I must thank General Ueda for cooperating with my work," Oguma Hideyama had already considered the possibility of a compromise with Ueda Hikoshu prior to his arrival, and now that the offer had been extended, he naturally would not refuse.

A harmonious atmosphere produces prosperity. After all, he only needed to bring some people back to fulfill his duty, with no one exerting undue pressure on him. Why stir up trouble on someone else’s turf when it could easily drown him?

As for whether the military was rotten or not, what did that have to do with him?

He wasn’t involved in military affairs; if one day he qualified to worry about it, then he would consider it.

Ueda Hikoshu laughed heartily and clapped Oguma Hideyama on the shoulder, "I should be thanking you, Oguma-san. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. We soldiers are straightforward folks who believe in repaying our debts."

After seeing off Oguma Hideyama, Ueda Hikoshu still did not relax his vigilance, continuing with the original plan to have people monitor all members of the investigative team.

And, taking a page from Aoyama Xiu Xin’s playbook against the investigative team, he had bugs placed in their rooms.

Military-grade listening devices, more sophisticated and covert.

At the same time, at Hokkaido Police Headquarters.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Aoyama Xiu Xin’s office door was rapped on.

"Come in," he called out without looking up.

Mikuriya Shouta pushed open the door, his steps and tone steady, "Minister, I’ve found him. Nakai Feiniao is still living in Sapporo; he left politics seven years ago and is now the owner of a hotel."

Nakai Feiniao had been a well-known figure in Sapporo during his time as a member of the Diet, so his information wasn’t hard to find.

Clearly, he had fallen from grace, otherwise, a decade later, with his initial position, he would be occupying a more significant role in Hokkaido’s political scene by now.

Rather than running a hotel.

"Find something on him, so when I meet him, he can converse with me in a way that pleases me, not with an attitude of resting on his laurels," Aoyama Xiu Xin spoke nonchalantly, busy with his head down, carelessly tossing aside the documents he had reviewed.

Power fades as people depart, and an old man who has been out of the game for years has barely any political influence left. If they could find his weak spot, they could force him to comply.

"Yes sir!" Mikuriya Shouta responded, then continued to report on another matter’s progress, "I’ve arranged to have surveillance installed in Sakurai Riri’s hospital room as instructed. It will be up by this evening."

"Mm-hm," Aoyama Xiu Xin nodded, his tone indifferent, "If there’s nothing else, you can go."

Mikuriya Shouta bowed and silently left.

......

In a private room at an izakaya.

A nervous young man in his early twenties, dressed plainly and with unremarkable features, sat across from Kudou Meixin, constantly shifting in his seat as if on pins and needles.

"Tanabe-san, I heard from Shigeru that you are good friends," Kudou Meixin began slowly.

Tanabe nodded repeatedly, "Yes! Shou Nan-san has always looked after me, and I am grateful to him."

"Do you know that the man you guys beat up last night is dead?" Kudou Meixin asked blandly.

"I... I know," Tanabe’s face turned pale as he nodded, then stuttered to add, "It was Shou Nan who stabbed him with a knife, it has nothing to do with me."

"Think carefully again, was it really Shou Nan who killed him? Why does Shou Nan say it was you who killed the victim?" Kudou Misaki stared at him intently.

"No! It wasn’t me! It was Shou Nan..." Tanabe instinctively denied it but as he met Kudou Misaki’s piercing gaze, his voice diminished, his face grew whiter, and he spoke with fear and anxiety, "What... what do you mean by this?"

"You know what I mean, Mr. Tanabe," Kudou Misaki said with a faint smile, elegantly taking a sip from the glass in front of her and continued, "I know your family’s financial situation is average. How about this, you take the fall for Shou Nan, and I’ll hire the best lawyer to defend you, I’ll even work on getting you a reduced sentence. I promise you’ll be out within ten years, and I’ll give you fifty thousand US dollars on top of that."

"No! No way! I won’t agree! I don’t want to go to jail!" Tanabe reflexively waved his hands in denial.

"Mr. Tanabe!" Kudou Misaki’s voice suddenly rose a pitch, her eyes turning cold, "Even if not for yourself, think about your family! They’ve already suffered enough, do you want to make their lives even more miserable? And can you earn fifty thousand US dollars in ten years? Think carefully before you answer me."

Tanabe was no fool; he understood the veiled threat in her words: if he didn’t agree to take the blame, his family would be the ones to suffer.

It angered him and he glared defiantly at Kudou Misaki but quickly slumped, his face bitter as he nodded, "Fine."

Agreeing to take the fall would at least protect his family from being dragged into this, and he would still get some money.

"Mr. Tanabe is truly a filial son. After you’re released, I’ll arrange a nice job for you," Kudou Misaki said with a slight smile, pulling out a long object wrapped in newspaper from her handbag, "This is the murder weapon from last night. Shou Nan’s fingerprints have been removed. Leave your fingerprints on it and then turn yourself in at the East District Police Station."

A few minutes later, she left the izakaya, got into a car waiting by the road. Inside, an impatient Iwamoto Shigeru asked, "How did it go? Did Tanabe agree? If not, we can get tough."

"He agreed," Kudou Misaki replied and then gave him a glare, "Cleaning up your mess costs me a favor and fifty thousand US dollars. I don’t ask for much, but can’t you at least save me some trouble?"

"Hey sis, I got it, I really learned my lesson this time. Okay, okay, don’t be angry now," Iwamoto Shigeru placated her with a sheepish grin.

With a resigned sigh, Kudou Misaki turned the key, started the car, and sped away with a press of the accelerator.

Behind her, Kudou Tatsuo hastily removed the earphones from the listening device, got into his car, and trailed them from a distance.

The next day, the East District Police Station presented a case of accidental homicide during a bar altercation to the prosecutor.

The prosecutor expedited the review, signed it, and passed it to the court.

Following the completion of the trial...

The case would be considered closed.

Kudou Tatsuo stopped monitoring Kudou Misaki since long-term surveillance could risk exposure. He just needed to wait for the court’s verdict to solidify the miscarriage of justice, then he planned to publicly reveal the recordings he had.

Time swiftly brought them to Friday.

That afternoon, Aoyama Xiu Xin was busy in his office.

"Knock, knock, knock!" Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," called Aoyama Xiu Xin.

"Minister Aoyama, I hope my unannounced visit hasn’t disturbed you?" Ishida Koyun entered with a smile.

Aoyama Xiu Xin was taken aback by his appearance, but quickly got up to welcome him, "What brings you here today, Chief Ishida?"

He was not well acquainted with Ishida Koyun, having only met him a few times at internal gatherings, merely a nodding acquaintance.

He had been planning on dealing with the man, but now the man had come to him. What could he want?

"Well, you don’t visit the Three Treasures Hall without a reason. I came today because I have a favor to ask..." Ishida Koyun said as he closed the door and then shook his head with an embarrassed expression.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Another unexpected knock interrupted him.

Surprised, Ishida said, "If you have work to do, go ahead, Aoyama. Don’t let me hold you up."

"I’ll be just a moment, Mr. Ishida," Aoyama Xiu Xin gestured towards the sofa, and then called out, "Come in."

"Minister..." Mikuriya Shouta opened the door, about to speak, but stopped short when he noticed Ishida Koyun, then quickly changed his approach, "I didn’t realize you had company, Minister. I’ll come back later..."

As he spoke, he was poised to close the door and leave.

"Don’t let me cause any disruption to your work," Ishida Koyun quickly interjected, understandingly standing up and addressing him, "I’ll step outside as the uninvited guest. You can finish up, and then I’ll come back in."

"What are you doing, Mr. Ishida!" Aoyama Xiu Xin feigned displeasure as he urged him back down onto the sofa, saying, "Just wait here, it probably isn’t anything serious. I’ll go out and hear him out."

After speaking, he signaled Mikuriya Shouta to follow him out of the office, closed the door behind them, and said, "Go ahead."

"I’ve found out that Nakai Feiniao’s son is suspected of smuggling contraband; I’ve already arrested him," Mikuriya Shouta whispered, his department being responsible for such matters.

On hearing this, Aoyama Xiu Xin looked back at his office door and realized, "I see. If your assumption is right, then he probably came to me at Nakai Feiniao’s request. Go back downstairs."

He then put on a smile, returned to his office, and greeted Ishida Koyun, "I’m so sorry about that. How inconsiderate of me to leave such a rare guest waiting, just too busy, you see."

"It’s me who should be sorry, showing up without notice and disrupting your work," Ishida Koyun said, somewhat ashamed.

"We’re all family here. There’s no need for us to stand on ceremony," Aoyama Xiu Xin replied with a smile, offering him a cigarette, "By the way, Mr. Ishida, you mentioned you had a favor to ask. I’m still not sure what it is."