At 6:30 PM, the izakaya opened for business right on schedule.
The night's crowd was decent—not as packed as weekends, but a noticeable step up from last week.
Around 9 PM, Officers Matsumoto and Megure walked in with six or seven other policemen. The sight startled the patrons, who thought something had gone wrong at the izakaya.
But the officers simply found seats, ordered food, and settled in for dinner.
Matsumoto and Megure took spots at the counter, eating while updating Shuichi Hayashi on the investigation.
"Around 10:30 last night, someone bought duct tape at a convenience store near the river," Megure said. "But they were wearing a hat and mask, so the clerk couldn't make out their face."
"Also, just after 10 PM, someone heard a man and a woman arguing by the riverbank," he continued. "It was late, though, and they were in a hurry to get home, so they didn't catch what the fight was about."
"I had my team look into Ms. Nishikawa's relationships," Matsumoto added. "She was kind, rarely got into disputes. Her colleagues at the strip club and nightclub spoke highly of her—no known enemies."
"As for the man who scammed her, she rarely mentioned him to anyone. The yakuza might be the only ones who know his identity."
"We dug into Mr. Sada's situation, though, and got a clear picture," Megure said, his expression heavy. "Five years ago, his younger sister, Ms. Wakaba Sada, came to Tokyo alone. She was deceived, saddled with massive debt, and forced by the yakuza to star in adult films."
"When word got back to their hometown, the gossip was too much for their parents. They took their own lives."
"Ms. Wakaba lost her mind after that—completely broke down."
"No wonder Mr. Sada teared up talking about Ms. Nishikawa and warned me not to fall for scams," Yukiko Fujimine said, her face full of sympathy. "His sister went through the same thing."
"Yeah," Megure continued. "After that, Mr. Sada came to Tokyo. He took his sister back from the yakuza, inheriting her enormous debt in the process."
"He's worked tirelessly for five years, even becoming a nightclub manager, but most of his income goes to the yakuza. That's why he lives in that rundown apartment."
"Why doesn't he just take his sister and leave Tokyo?" Yukiko asked, puzzled. "Even with the yakuza watching, there's got to be a chance to slip away."
"Actually," Megure replied, "our investigation shows Sada's never tried to run. He's never even missed a payment to the yakuza."
"He's got to be planning revenge!" Kogoro Mouri chimed in, leaning over. "If someone did that to me, I'd risk everything to take them down."
"Mouri," Matsumoto said sternly, "that kind of thinking's dangerous. Leave these things to the police."
"If the police were that reliable, Mr. Sada wouldn't have acted the way he did," Shuichi shot back, unimpressed.
"Well… sometimes our hands are tied," Matsumoto said, looking embarrassed. "The yakuza exploit legal loopholes. We can't just arrest them without cause."
"It looks like we'll need to focus on Sada and the yakuza to crack this case," Shuichi said, turning to the officers. "Sada doesn't trust the police, so I can talk to him on your behalf and try to persuade him. As for the yakuza…"
"We don't have much pull with them either," Matsumoto admitted, thinking it over. "We'll need to ask Officer Odagiri from Division Four to step in."
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Division had four investigative units, each with distinct roles. Division One handled violent crimes like murder, robbery, and assault. Division Two tackled fraud and corporate crimes. Division Three dealt with theft, while Division Four focused on organized crime.
"When's a good time for you, Hayashi?" Megure asked. "I'll take you to see Mr. Sada."
"Tomorrow after school," Shuichi said after a moment. "He's probably working now. Showing up out of the blue—and for police business—might make him resent me."
…
With the plan settled and dinner finished, Matsumoto, Megure, and their team left to resume their work.
"I never realized how busy police work is," Yukiko remarked. "It's almost 10 PM, and they're still at it."
"Not all police are the same," Shuichi said. "Patrol officers at local stations have it easier than Division One detectives. Different roles, different workloads."
Glancing at the clock, Shuichi called Kogoro over. "Hang the 'closed' sign out front. Once these customers leave, we're done for the night."
"Isn't that a bit early?" Kogoro asked, confused. "We're closing twenty minutes sooner than usual."
"It's fine. We're only losing a couple thousand yen," Shuichi said with a wave. "From now on, we'll close at this time."
The boss had spoken, so Kogoro nodded and complied.
As he walked off, Yukiko nudged Shuichi with her elbow, smirking. "Someone's closing early to avoid last night's dilemma—figuring out who to walk home, huh?"
Shuichi didn't deny it, tacitly admitting she was right.
Last night, he'd used Kogoro as a buffer. That wouldn't work tonight. Closing early meant he could avoid choosing between the girls and ensure they got home safely.
When Eri Kisaki heard about the early closing, she immediately guessed Shuichi's reasoning. But her mind was elsewhere—focused on convincing Shuichi to study abroad with her in America. As long as he wasn't escorting Yukiko, she didn't care much.
…
The izakaya shut down twenty minutes early. After seeing Yukiko and Eri off, Shuichi and Kogoro headed upstairs to their respective homes.
After a quick shower, Shuichi sank into bed, ready to sleep until morning.
But he'd barely drifted off when the doorbell rang.
"What now? Disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night?"
Grumbling, Shuichi got up and checked the time—just past 1 AM.
Yawning, he shuffled to the door and peeked through the peephole.
There was Officer Megure, pacing like a nervous wreck, frantically pressing the doorbell…
(End of Chapter)/
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