Chapter 44: I Still Prefer Your Unruly Spirit

The one who fired the shot was Hidenobu Aoyama. He still maintained the posture of gripping his gun as he rushed forward, kicked the weapon on the ground out of reach with one foot, and flashed a brilliant smile at Sato Rifu, who had not yet drawn his last breath.

In that moment, Sato Rifu suddenly understood everything. His eyes widened in shock. So Takahashi Chiyuan had already thrown his lot in with Hidenobu Aoyama. No wonder he had noticed that Takahashi’s gun had felt strangely light just now.

There hadn’t been any bullets in it.

“You... you both... pff—”

His gaze, filled with unwillingness and resentment, flickered between Hidenobu Aoyama and Takahashi Chiyuan. Fury overtook him, blood surged to his heart, and he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, staining his chest.

“Quick! Stretcher! Get a stretcher!”

Asai Takehiko finally snapped to attention and shouted. Fearing someone might be injured, they had notified the ambulance in advance to stand by when the operation began.

The stretcher arrived almost immediately.

“The stretcher’s here! Where’s the wounded?”

“Make way! Don’t block the path! Move aside!”

The corridor instantly descended into chaos.

Takahashi Chiyuan tried to seize the chance to retrieve his own gun.

But a hand reached out before him and picked it up.

Takahashi Chiyuan looked up, “Superintendent.”

His heart leapt to his throat.

“Next time, keep better hold of your weapon,” Asai Takehiko said without a change in expression, handing the gun back.

Takahashi Chiyuan received it with both hands. “Yes, sir!”

His face had turned ashen, his hands trembling. He didn’t dare meet Asai Takehiko’s eyes.

But to his relief, Asai seemed unaware that anything was amiss with the gun. He quickly turned and left.

Only then did Takahashi Chiyuan stand up, sneaking a quick glance at Sato Rifu, now covered in blood on the stretcher.

I’m sorry, Inspector. I didn’t want this either. It was Hidenobu Aoyama who forced me—I had no choice. Please don’t blame me.

With the siren wailing, Sato Rifu was taken away, but everyone present knew he would not survive. After all, his throat had been shot through, he had lost so much blood on the spot, not even a miracle could save him.

“Aoyama.” Asai Takehiko, watching the ambulance depart, suddenly called out, his back to Hidenobu Aoyama.

Aoyama immediately stepped forward. “Yes, sir!”

“Your marksmanship is impressive,” Asai said, his gaze deep and his tone calm.

Aoyama could not tell whether Asai had realized the killing was intentional or not, so he could only feign ignorance and answer again, “Yes, sir!”

“You’ve cleared your name and earned merit. Congratulations on your imminent return to Headquarters,” Asai continued.

Aoyama bowed even lower, his tone sincere. “It’s all thanks to your guidance, Superintendent. I also hope to continue serving at the Shinjuku station.”

“All good things must come to an end,” Asai shook his head and sighed. “If you want a bright future, returning to Headquarters is your best option.”

“Yes, sir.”

Asai waved him away.

Originally, Asai had planned to let Takahashi Chiyuan, arranged by Sato Rifu, suppress Aoyama, then step in to offer help and win Aoyama’s loyalty for good.

But plans couldn’t keep up with changes.

Tonight, Aoyama not only cleared himself of all suspicion but also cracked the Nagashin Bank robbery case and personally killed his enemy, Sato Rifu.

Takahashi Chiyuan, too, had inexplicably submitted to him. There was no longer any need for Asai’s calculated generosity.

Moreover, Asai found himself reluctant to get too close to this man.

His mind was too deep, his methods too ruthless and insidious. It would be wise to maintain a cordial relationship and offer occasional support, but never to draw him in as a true confidant, lest disaster strike the family one day.

Hidenobu Aoyama, of course, was unaware of Asai’s current thoughts. Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared, for he and Aya Asai were already closely bound together. His relationship with the Asai family was not something Asai Takehiko could sever at will.

That very night, the Metropolitan Police Department held a grand press conference, announcing to the public that the main culprit in the Nagashin Bank robbery, Ichiro Takeda, had been shot dead.

As for Sato Rifu, things turned out rather well for him. Since he was already dead, and to preserve the reputation of the police, the department did not make public his involvement in the case. Instead, they claimed he was killed in the line of duty during the operation—honored as one who died for his duty.

Thus, even in death, he retained his good name.

Perhaps as compensation for the injustices Aoyama had suffered, he was for once allowed to join Aya Asai at the press conference and deliver a brief speech.

“Four months ago, due to an ambush, Ichiro Takeda escaped from my grasp. From that day on, I vowed to bring him to justice! Thanks to the careful planning and direction of the leaders at Headquarters and the investigation team, tonight I finally fulfilled that promise and washed away the humiliation he brought upon me!”

After the press conference, Superintendent General Kunio Nimpei called Aoyama over, speaking with the familiarity of an old friend. “We can’t make public the fact that Sato Rifu framed you. Does that feel unjust?”

“Reporting to the Superintendent: no, sir!” Aoyama replied without hesitation, adding, “I understand your intentions. It’s all to preserve the reputation of the department, and I am part of the force as well!”

“Excellent!” Kunio Nimpei patted his shoulder approvingly. “I look forward to your continued good work upon your return to Headquarters.”

“Yes, sir!” Aoyama bowed ninety degrees.

Kunio Nimpei glanced back at Asai Takehiko and smiled. “Inspector Asai has achieved much lately. Such talent—let her come to Headquarters’ Criminal Division and serve the public there.”

“Yes, sir!” Aya Asai was elated. There wasn’t a single officer who didn’t dream of joining the Criminal Division.

Asai Takehiko, for his part, had no objection. He had originally kept his daughter under his watch out of concern as she started her career, but now Aya had gained enough experience. It was time for her to leave his side and hone her skills at Headquarters.

Besides, with Hidenobu Aoyama there and their close relationship, Asai Takehiko was not worried about his daughter facing danger or hardship.

But what he didn’t know was that, when no danger was present, Hidenobu Aoyama himself was the greatest danger of all.

“Tanaka,” Aoyama called out as he was preparing to drive home, spotting Kimifumi Tanaka.

Tanaka had actually noticed Aoyama already and wanted to slip away quickly, but since he’d been seen, he had no choice but to stop, turn, and bow respectfully. “Yes, Inspector.”

Aoyama laughed. “Didn’t I tell you just the other day? Thanks to you, Tanaka, I am no longer an inspector.”

Strictly speaking, his former rank was Assistant Inspector, but his subordinates usually called him Inspector.

Tanaka looked awkward but dared not lose his temper this time, having already heard what had transpired that evening and even witnessed Aoyama talking to Kunio Nimpei. It seemed clear that Aoyama would soon be reinstated and return to Headquarters.

The thought left him breathless.

He opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out.

Aoyama continued, “You’ve been working hard since leaving my team, Tanaka. Still at the office so late.”

He recalled how, under his predecessor’s care, this man had always shirked his work.

“I was interrogating a suspect,” Tanaka replied, then forced a fawning smile. “Congratulations on your imminent return to Headquarters, sir. That’s wonderful news.”

Aoyama laughed. “I rather liked your former unruly self.”

Tanaka’s face turned ashen, his hands at a loss. In the end, he could only bow deeply. “Inspector, please forgive my rudeness. I was wrong—I won’t do it again!”

He regretted everything now, never having imagined that Aoyama would truly return.

“You still haven’t answered my question from last time. Is your wife pretty?” Aoyama pressed on, undeterred.

Sweating profusely, Tanaka looked up in despair, his lips trembling. “Inspector...”

“Too embarrassed to say? That’s all right.” Aoyama smiled indulgently. “I’ll just see for myself when I have the chance.”

With that, he got into his car and drove off with a roar.

...

Tanaka Kimifumi returned home in a daze.

Clang!

“Ah, you’re home! You must be tired,” his wife, Nako Tanaka, called out from the kitchen, wearing an apron. When she came closer, she noticed her husband’s odd expression and asked with concern, “Did something happen?”

He gazed at his newlywed wife.

Nako Tanaka was his childhood sweetheart—classmates from infancy to adulthood, from diapers to wedding gowns.

She was tall for a Japanese woman, standing at 1.7 meters, with long, jet-black hair falling to her waist. Her features were not striking in isolation, but together they created a gentle, pure beauty. Her figure was not voluptuous, yet her curves were graceful and her waist slender. Even without stockings, her long, pale legs beneath the apron were enough to drive any man mad.

He knew well how beautiful his wife was. That she had agreed to marry him was his greatest fortune, and to give her a peaceful married life, he had chosen to betray Hidenobu Aoyama, who had once helped him, siding with Sato Rifu to frame him.

Was it time to pay the price now?

And that price was precisely what had driven him, despite betraying Aoyama, to take care of his beautiful wife.

“No! I can’t let this happen! No, no, no!”

Tanaka collapsed to his knees, clutching his head and sobbing.

“Kimifumi, what’s wrong?” Nako, alarmed, quickly knelt to hold him, soothing him gently. “Please, tell me what’s happened. No matter what, I’m by your side, just as I always have been.”

Even after marriage, their forms of address had not changed.

“Nako, my Nako.” Tanaka hugged her tightly, but said nothing more. After a good cry, he finally felt a little better. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“All right, Kimifumi. Work must have been exhausting, but whenever you’re tired, just hug me like this and you’ll feel a lot better,” Nako replied tenderly, never prying, always smiling gently as she went back to the kitchen.

Tanaka couldn’t help but smile, though it soon faded, replaced by worry and confusion.

Should he resign?

The thought only made him more miserable.

No, he had only managed to become Deputy Inspector ahead of schedule by betraying Hidenobu Aoyama. If he resigned now, he would lose everything, and might not find such a good job again.

Amaterasu above, what can I do to keep both my job and my wife?

...

The next morning, as the news aired, all of Japan learned that the main culprit in the Nagashin Bank robbery had been apprehended, giving the nation a new topic for idle conversation.

The rest of Ichiro Takeda’s gang, naturally, saw the news as well. The group’s strategist, a bespectacled young man, remarked, “The sudden tightening of security at banks these past few days must have been in anticipation of Ichiro Takeda.”

“Hahaha!” The leader, a young man with shoulder-length hair, burst out laughing. “If that’s so, now that Takeda’s been caught, both the police and the banks must be off their guard. Our chance has come.”

The five of them drove around town and found that bank security had indeed relaxed.

“Right now, every bank is like a naked girl waiting for us to enjoy. Let’s go home and revise the plan,” the long-haired leader said, barely containing his excitement. He exhaled and muttered to himself, “Surely nothing will go wrong this time.”

“Relax, boss. There’s no better time to strike. What could possibly go wrong? Instead of worrying, think about how to spend all that money.”

“Haha, exactly! This time, we’ll make a haul big enough for us to retire for good.”

“When we split the cash, I’m going home to get married.”

“I’m going back to my hometown to build a new house...”

Everyone had their own dreams and worked hard for them. Truly, what a harmonious and beautiful society this was.