Chapter 40: The Traitor! By the way, is your wife beautiful? (Please vote! Please keep reading!)

The next day, during a meeting at the search headquarters, Aya Asai brought up Aoyama Hidenobu’s deductions from the previous night. Asai Takehiko stated he would recommend the Metropolitan Police Department deploy more officers and reinforce security at Tokyo’s banks. The father and daughter had probably reached this consensus at home the night before; now, at work, they were simply going through the official motions.

When the meeting ended, everyone dispersed. Aoyama Hidenobu headed straight for the restroom, and to his surprise, ran into a familiar face—Tanaka Norifumi, a former subordinate during his days at the Metropolitan Police Department.

Tanaka saw him too, his gaze flickering as he bowed. “Inspector Aoyama.”

“Oh, no need for that. Thanks to you, I’m not an inspector anymore,” Aoyama replied cheerfully.

In his memory, this man had once been his closest subordinate at the department; the original Aoyama often looked after him at work. But in the end, Tanaka had betrayed him under Sato Toshitomi’s coercion and temptation.

Although at that time, he himself had not yet crossed over into this world.

If those three traitors hadn’t perjured themselves for Sato Toshitomi, the original Aoyama wouldn’t have been demoted and transferred. By the time he arrived, the position would have been even higher. So their betrayal hurt not just the original Aoyama but his own prospects too!

Vengeful by nature, Aoyama certainly intended to take revenge on the culprit Sato Toshitomi, but he wouldn’t let accomplices like Tanaka Norifumi off the hook either.

To most, this logic would seem unreasonable.

But was Aoyama Hidenobu a normal man?

He wasn’t even quite human anymore.

Put on the spot by Aoyama’s jibe, Tanaka’s face turned pale then green, flustered and awkward, head lowered. “I’m truly sorry, Aoyama-kun. At the time, my wedding was approaching. I really couldn’t afford to lose that job.”

So, you nearly cost me mine instead?

“Hah. The wedding’s done, right? Didn’t even invite your old boss for a drink. Tanaka-kun, that’s just not right,” Aoyama said, as though chatting with an old friend, not a hint of anger in his voice. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he smiled slyly. “By the way, is your wife pretty?”

Though guilty, Tanaka’s anger surged at the insinuation in Aoyama’s words. He looked up and retorted, “There’s no need for you to be so snide, Aoyama-kun. Yes, I gave false testimony against you, but if you’d been in my place, you’d have made the same choice. After all, self-preservation is the law of nature.”

The more he spoke, the more righteous he felt.

“Dogs see others as their own kind,” Aoyama sneered with disdain, unfastening his belt and getting on with his business. “You still haven’t answered me. Is your wife pretty or not?”

He was especially concerned about this question—it was important.

“Idiot!” Tanaka snapped, clenching his fists and glaring at Aoyama. “If you dare even lay a finger on my wife, I’ll make you pay dearly!”

“I’m just curious if she’s pretty. Why such a big reaction?” Aoyama replied, looking innocent and harmless.

Tanaka grew angrier at his feigned innocence, sneering in contempt. “Aoyama Hidenobu, do you still think you’re my superior? We’re equals now. So check your attitude and stop acting so high and mighty!”

With that, he buckled his belt and left.

“Tsk. Petty man,” Aoyama shook his head in exasperation, muttering to himself, “So attached to this job... I wonder, when I return to the Metropolitan Police, will you offer your new wife as an apology to keep your position?”

“Ah, Tanaka-kun, I can’t wait to see what you choose. I’m already impatient to return to the force. Ha, haha, hahaha...”

Ignoring the strange looks from others entering the restroom, he strode out laughing—a villain on the verge of a comeback.

“Aoyama-kun, where did you go? You disappeared after the meeting.” Aya Asai approached with Nakamura in tow, a hint of complaint in her tone.

Aoyama replied offhandedly, “Tokyo’s getting hotter by the day. I just took my promotion device out for some air. All done, let’s go.”

Aya didn’t catch his innuendo, simply turned and led Aoyama and Shinichi Nakamura to start the day’s investigation into Takeda Ichiro.

…………………………

Aoyama’s deductions, once reported by Asai Takehiko, were taken seriously by the Metropolitan Police. The very same day, additional officers were sent to banks throughout Tokyo.

Time quickly passed to the afternoon.

“Damn it!” In a detached house in Meguro, Tokyo, a young man with shoulder-length hair was fuming, kicking over a chair in anger.

Around him sat four other young men in their twenties or thirties, all looking glum.

Several black hoods were strewn carelessly on the floor.

“Boss, what do we do now? Security at every bank is tighter—our whole plan’s ruined,” a blonde youth grumbled.

They were the out-of-towners who’d bought guns and ammo from Yamamoto Ken. The casing was done, the target bank chosen, and they’d planned to strike today.

If it worked, they’d be living the high life.

If not, prison life would be their fate.

But when they arrived at their target, they found, unlike before, a squad of police stationed outside. Thinking their plan had been compromised, they retreated in a panic.

To avoid being tailed, they circled the city before realizing it wasn’t just their target—every bank in Tokyo had suddenly beefed up security.

Relieved yet frustrated, they could only curse their luck.

How could making a little money be so hard?

The long-haired man slumped onto the sofa, snatching a cigarette from the mouth of a nearby lackey and lighting up. “What now? What can we do? Cancel the plan and wait for the right moment. We can’t just give up.”

They all had criminal records and had taken huge risks coming to Tokyo. The investment in guns and ammo was substantial; with so much already sunk into this venture, pulling out now would mean a total loss.

“Boss, there’s an old Chinese saying: ‘A blessing in disguise,’” murmured a bespectacled youth—the brains of the group. “There’s only one explanation: some rival gang must have tipped off the cops. But once those rivals are caught, the police will relax. That’s when we strike. Our chances will be even better.”

“Good thinking!” The long-haired leader’s eyes lit up, and he grinned at his brothers. “You hear that? This isn’t a setback—it’s an opportunity. So be patient and wait.”

“Yes, boss!” they answered in unison.

Meanwhile, the search headquarters had no inkling that a gang of major criminals was lying in wait. Three days of investigation into Takeda Ichiro yielded no progress. The man seemed to have vanished.

A heavy cloud hung over everyone’s hearts.

Not until the fourth day, when Sato Toshitomi arrived with good news, was the deadlock finally broken.