Chapter 102: The Mastermind, Summons from Nobu Kurosawa

"I... I..." Hiroshi Ito stammered, unable to finish his sentence.

"Speak! Why did you betray me? What did I ever do to deserve this?" Yamada Yunosuke pressed him again, sounding like a cuckolded husband.

Ito lowered his head, tears streaming down his face instantly. He didn't offer a reason for his betrayal, instead begging incessantly, "Prosecutor, I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please, I beg you, let me go! Spare me!"

"Baka! You bastard!" Yamada struck him, knocking him to the floor, and then straddled him, raining blows down from both sides. "You almost got me killed! And you have the nerve to ask me to spare you? You almost killed me!"

"Pull them apart," Aoyama Hidenobu commanded.

Two members of the Yamakawa family stepped forward, grabbing Yamada Yunosuke by the arms and forcibly dragging him away.

As Ito tried to scramble to his feet, Aoyama planted his foot firmly on him. "I don't care why you betrayed him. I only want to know where the photos are."

"I can't say. I won't say. If I tell you, you won't let me live," Ito shook his head repeatedly.

"You really prefer the hard way over the easy way." Aoyama kicked him in the head, stepped back, and turned aside. "Yamakawa-kun, help me loosen his tongue."

He wasn't a cruel man by nature and certainly didn't enjoy torturing people himself; such tasks were best left to others. He had only struck out earlier because he happened to need an outlet for his own frustration.

"Hai!" Yamakawa Ichijo bowed, then retrieved a pair of common household pliers from a toolbox.

Two of his men immediately pinned Ito down.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Ito struggled violently, but it was in vain.

Yamakawa slowly approached, crouched down beside him, and began to pull out his fingernails one by one.

As the first nail was ripped away, the raw flesh beneath the nail bed was instantly bathed in blood. Ito’s face twisted in agony; he let out a piercing, unending scream, sweat pouring down his forehead like rain. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please, stop!"

Because Aoyama had not given the order to stop, Yamakawa ignored him and tore off another nail.

"Aaaaaah!" Ito’s face turned deathly pale. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sobbed, "I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!"

"Stop," Aoyama finally commanded.

Yamakawa stood up and stepped aside.

"Yamada Yunosuke! You say you didn't do me wrong? Then why, after all these years, am I still just an assistant?" Ito, having reached the point of no return, looked up with venomous resentment.

Yamada retorted, "Was it beneath you to be my assistant? You’ve lined your pockets plenty using my name. Without me, would you be dressed so sharply, looking like a decent human being?"

"Money? Hahahaha! Money? Do you think I served you like a beast of burden for money?" Ito laughed, grinding his teeth. "It’s simply because I’m too useful for you to let go, so you refused to help me climb any higher in my career!"

Yamada’s expression stiffened; he knew it was true. Another reason, of course, was that Ito knew too many of his secrets, and he couldn't risk letting him operate freely.

"I’m not interested in your personal grievances. Where are the photos!" Aoyama demanded coldly.

"Heh, nothing to say now? Accusing me of betrayal? In the end, you’re just a hypocritical worm!" Ito sneered before answering Aoyama’s question. "I didn't have someone steal the photos. It was Prosecutor Mizumoto. I only told him the information, and he arranged for someone to steal them."

"Mizumoto Masahisa?" Yamada asked.

"Who else? He promised to help me secure a good position," Ito replied coldly.

Yamada’s face turned grim. He explained to Aoyama, "Mizumoto Masahisa is in the same Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office as I am; he’s the Chief of the General Affairs Division. He had his eye on the Personnel Division Chief position, but I secured it first, and he’s harbored a grudge ever since. He is certainly capable of such a thing."

"Is he also working for Kurosawa Shin?" Aoyama was more concerned with Mizumoto's political stance.

Yamada nodded and analyzed Mizumoto's motives. "He kept the photos hidden after he got them. When I inevitably failed to produce them, I would face the wrath of President Kurosawa. Once he’s sure I’m finished, he’ll find an excuse to 'discover' the photos and turn them in. Not only does he get rid of me, he earns the favor of President Kurosawa."

"In other words, the photos are still in his possession and haven't been turned in yet?" Aoyama pinpointed the crucial detail.

Yamada nodded. "Yes. If he just wanted the credit, he would have turned them in immediately. Since he wants to eliminate me, he definitely hasn't submitted them yet."

"What now?" Aoyama left the decision to him. After all, Mizumoto Masahisa was a prosecutor of the same rank as Yamada; he couldn't be handled like Sugimoto Yumi or Ito, where one could simply arrest or kill them at will. Even disposing of Ito was already troublesome enough.

Yamada’s expression shifted uncertainly. After a moment of silence, he said, "If we don't get those photos, we’re both dead. Could the consequences be any worse than that?"

He was clearly cornered and ready to take drastic risks.

"We cannot touch him. The consequences are too severe; neither you nor I can afford them," Aoyama immediately dismissed the idea of using violence against Mizumoto.

Mizumoto’s status was too high. If anything happened to him, both the prosecutors and the police would investigate to the bitter end. The risk was too great. Even if they survived the ordeal with Kurosawa Shin, they might not survive the investigation. And even if they did, once they were under suspicion, they would never be promoted again. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, one must never resort to physical elimination of those with status and power.

Yamada had been panicked and speaking rashly, but Aoyama’s words calmed him. "That guy Mizumoto... his parents died long ago, and his wife divorced him and took the kids abroad. He’s like a hedgehog; there’s nowhere to get a grip on him."

"I do have an idea..." Aoyama stared at Ito and slowly began to speak.

"What is it?" Yamada asked.

"Since Mizumoto Masahisa wants to kill two birds with one stone, he certainly won't turn in the photos within three days. We still have time." Aoyama stated his conclusion, then laid out his plan: "Like this... and then like that..."

The longer Yamada listened, the brighter his eyes became.

Ito, meanwhile, glared at the two of them, cursing, "You two insidious villains..."

"Noisy. Gag him," Aoyama said.

Soon, Ito was unable to speak, reduced to muffled grunts, his face flushed red with rage.

"Aoyama-kun, brilliant! Truly brilliant." Yamada complimented him sincerely.

"You flatter me, just a small trick," Aoyama waved his hand modestly.

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"

***

Although he hadn't returned home until three or four in the morning, Aoyama Hidenobu woke up early the next day, ate breakfast, and headed to the Metropolitan Police Department for work.

On the way, he received calls from Fujimoto Ryoichi and Nakamura Shinichi. Both reported that the surveillance cameras hadn't captured the thief's face and that there were no witnesses in the vicinity.

Aoyama had expected this. Now that he knew Mizumoto Masahisa was the mastermind behind the theft, the trail of the thief no longer mattered, so he told them to stop investigating.

Upon arriving at the office, Sakai Ryosai handed him a file folder. "Deputy Chief, Section Chief Asai said to give this to you as soon as you arrived."

"Right, thanks." Aoyama guessed it was information regarding Kurosawa Shin. He thanked him and returned to his desk to open the folder.

Kurosawa Shin, 78 years old. He had served as a member of the House of Representatives, Deputy Prime Minister, Director-General of the Defense Agency, and Minister of Construction. Last year, he was appointed Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party and held immense influence within the party.

As he read the detailed file, memories from his past life began to resurface. He remembered seeing information about this man while handling certain Japanese business accounts. Although Kurosawa was currently at the zenith of his power, Aoyama remembered that he would fall from grace in August of this year.

Aoyama didn't know the specific event that caused his downfall, but he knew one thing: great empires don't collapse overnight. This meant Kurosawa’s political enemies were already working against him. He also remembered that because of this incident, the Liberal Democratic Party—which had governed Japan for decades—would split, leading to its first loss of power.

Kurosawa Shin died just a few years later.

Aoyama had originally intended to swallow his pride and use the photos to curry favor with the old man, but now he decided to change his plans. He had to kick him while he was down!

He would retrieve the photos and hand them to Kurosawa’s political enemies. By giving him a push on his path to ruin, he could reap the rewards from Kurosawa’s rivals instead.

Besides, given the psychological pressure he had endured last night, he already felt nothing but contempt for Kurosawa, and this would be the perfect way to vent his frustration.

"Ring-ring~ Ring-ring~"

The sudden phone call interrupted his thoughts.

"Moshi moshi?" Aoyama answered.

"Head downstairs. There is a car waiting for you. President Kurosawa wants to see you." An authoritative voice cut through the line, sending a jolt of adrenaline through Aoyama.

Kurosawa Shin?

Why did that old man want to see him so suddenly?

He didn't dare refuse. Even if Kurosawa was destined to fall, that hadn't happened yet. If he dared to refuse, Kurosawa wouldn't need to wait until tomorrow to deal with him—he could destroy him today.

"Hai! I’m coming down right now," Aoyama replied with a submissive tone.

He quickly tried to call Yamada Yunosuke, but the call wouldn't go through.

Damn it. He realized instantly that Yamada must have been summoned by Kurosawa as well, making it impossible to answer his phone.

Summoning both of them, two mere pawns, could only mean one thing: Kurosawa knew the photos were missing.

Aoyama could only pray that Yamada was smart enough not to say anything reckless before he arrived. Otherwise, they were both headed for a grim end.