Chapter Twenty-One: Scandal

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“Shocking! Inspector Mihana Accused of Violent Interrogation!”
“Champion of Justice? Or a Demon of Coercion? The Secrets Behind a Veteran Detective!”
“Where Is the Line Between Power and the Rule of Law? Who’s Pulling the Strings?”
“Industry Insiders Admit: Intimidating Witnesses, Distorting Facts—Mihana Precinct May Face Accountability”
...

September 28th, Wednesday. The morning briefing was canceled.

In its place, an urgent meeting of the police department’s senior officials was convened.

At the start of the meeting, Director Shiraishi slammed a stack of newspapers onto the conference table with a sharp crack that echoed throughout the room. The deputy directors and section chiefs seated along the long table fell silent—no need to read the papers; they already knew what was written. Their morning news alerts had all flashed the same headlines...

These reports had surfaced en masse just this morning.

After a moment of silence, Shiraishi spoke: “Section Chief Shirai, please brief us on the case.”

“Director, I will take full responsibility for this. The court hearing on Friday for the retrial—I will...” Shirai’s face had darkened, clearly shaken by the gravity of the situation.

It wasn’t just the exposure of improper interrogation practices that troubled him, but...

The relentless march of the times had struck him down once again.

Had this happened a decade ago, such an uproar would have been unthinkable. He simply could not accept this societal shift, believing people were overreacting and making a fuss over nothing...

“I asked you to report on the case!” Shiraishi cut him off sharply.

Shirai bristled with indignation—What does that department know about solving cases? When you’re sent to crack down on a violent gang, do you strictly follow the standard interrogation protocols?

This time, the problem involved a murder case!

The reason the Mihana Precinct was leading the charge instead of the elite Search Unit One was because Shirai had volunteered. By unwritten agreement, when a violent crime occurs in the East Capital, the Metropolitan Police intervene during the first week, but local precincts can pursue their own lines of investigation if no special task force has been established, allowing both sides to investigate independently.

Usually, local precincts don’t act that way—they simply assist the Search Unit and avoid responsibility no matter how the investigation unfolds.

At this moment, the senior precinct chief on the left spoke up: “Director Shiraishi, this matter... is actually the responsibility of us old-timers. I recall the case was solved on the 19th and sent for prosecution on the 20th. The handover was not yet complete. I wanted to avoid leaving old cases unresolved, so I didn’t mention this to you. It has nothing to do with you, Director Shiraishi. From this point on, it’s a public matter...”

Hailohara was trying to shoulder the blame, unwilling to let Shiraishi take the fall so soon after his appointment. The case’s investigation phase had largely concluded before Shiraishi arrived; the case was already with the prosecution by his third day. Shiraishi learned of the issues from the news. It would be unfair for him to bear responsibility now.

“Chief Hailohara, since I am the director, I must take full responsibility for the precinct. I appreciate your intentions, but you needn’t say more. Whether it’s apologizing or taking criticism, I will not shirk my duty.

“Now, I want to address the internal issues. Section Chief Shirai, present the details of the case... Don’t tell me you can’t recall the specifics.” Shiraishi fixed Shirai with a piercing gaze.

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At this, Shirai immediately replied, “Of course not!”

That was a challenge to his professionalism.

Shirai considered himself an expert at solving cases; it was only the changing times that left him unable to perform.

Perhaps he deserved to be outpaced by the times, but he was no irresponsible officer...

Without consulting notes, Shirai launched into the case summary:

(Normally, a murder case from investigation to prosecution and trial takes several months. However, to maintain narrative flow, the timeline here is greatly compressed, as if in a parallel world.)

“On the night of September 3rd, we received a report: Station Chief Hayashida of the Mihana-cho 3-chome gas station was stabbed to death at home. The first to discover the body was a neighbor...

“During the investigation, I found employee Tsubokura to be the prime suspect. Before the incident, he had been scolded and verbally fired by the chief. Colleagues testified they heard him say, ‘I’ll kill you’ or the like.

“The murder weapon was found on the scene—a kitchen knife from the victim’s home, bearing Tsubokura’s fingerprints.” Shirai recounted the case straightforwardly.

“So the case hinges mainly on motive and fingerprints on the weapon? What about the allegations of ‘witness intimidation’?” Shiraishi asked directly.

Shirai showed a hint of impatience but answered: “That guy did claim an alibi, saying he was zoning out in Mihana Park that afternoon...

“But he only brought this up after several days in custody, claiming he’d bought coffee at the time. By then, the coffee vendor’s memory was very vague, and their testimony was unclear to begin with!”

As Shirai spoke, Shiraishi scrutinized his expressions—the microexpression reading skill he had honed to level 7...

“If it was a coffee truck, there should be records on the ordering machine, right?” Shiraishi asked sharply at Shirai’s ambiguous point.

Shirai faltered briefly before replying, “Yes... the investigation confirmed only one order was made between 1 and 2:30 p.m. on the day of the incident.”

“Was the coffee ordered the same type as the suspect claimed?”

“Yes.” Shirai nodded.

“Did the vendor provide any additional testimony after learning this?” Shiraishi’s questions hit the core every time.

“Yes... but that testimony was unreliable! That cunning criminal deliberately delayed for days until the vendor’s memory faded, then brought it up. So...” Shirai hurried to explain.

Tsubokura’s tactic was classic in Shirai’s view—the vendor couldn’t possibly remember a coffee purchase from several days prior!

But Shiraishi interrupted, “So you more or less... suggested to the witness, leading them to say they misremembered and to omit this from their testimony, didn’t you?”

“That’s right... that guy is definitely the culprit! I can read it in his eyes! How could we let him go free on such flimsy grounds... If even we are so weak, then the country’s law and justice...” Shirai became fervent as he spoke.

“Shirai!” Shiraishi called him sharply by name, halting him.

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“Heh... Director, you wouldn’t understand...” Shirai replied, dejectedly.

Indeed, in Shirai’s mind, there was a barrier he could not overcome—since interrogation procedures were standardized, his case-solving rate had plummeted. He was transferred to Mihana Precinct, where he had long been ineffective. This weighed heavily on him, a core member once from Search Unit One.

By contrast, although Shiraishi had also been transferred to a local precinct, he had implemented his own methods, cracked major cases, and though subtly demoted, colleagues who knew the truth held him in high regard. If Shirai had enjoyed similar success, perhaps he would be more at peace...

Shiraishi tapped the table and said, “Everyone, return to your duties... Shirai, stay. Call over investigators from Division Four, and also from Divisions Three and Two, to the conference room...”

“Director Shiraishi...” Hailohara hesitated, unable to hold back a warning.

He wasn’t feeling sorry for Shirai, but for Shiraishi—if Shiraishi insisted on reopening the investigation and even leading it, he would be shouldering the responsibility himself.

From a purely professional standpoint, as the new director, Shiraishi could easily have passed this scandal stemming from before his tenure onto others... but...

“It’s alright. Leave it to me.”

Shiraishi was clearly not someone solely concerned with procedure.

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Author’s Note: A minor revision was made earlier—Xiao Lan’s level 9 rating has been lowered to level 8, two levels below Makoto Kyogoku.

This level is more of a statistical convenience for description and should not be taken too seriously. On one hand, “Physical Condition Level” is strength relative to average body weight—essentially “the physical capability possible at that weight”—but actual combat power depends on weight, skills, and situational performance.

This is not a cultivation novel with sudden power leaps after breakthroughs...

Regarding whether Xiao Lan’s rating should be lowered further, I don’t believe she’s weaker than Ireland or Binga. In the theatrical version, she presumably won both one-on-one fights against Masamune. It’s just that after being kicked in the jaw and neck, Masamune could still stand—clearly the Black Organization was cheating. Normally, two evenly matched opponents would be knocked down by such blows.

The exact cheat will be revealed later as a secondary setting...

The recent downgrade mainly reflects that people like Shuichi Akai and Toru Amuro should be a tier above Makoto Kyogoku, along with characters like Asaka and the pre-injury Explosive Girl, who deserve level 9.

Most importantly, some purely “visual spectacle” feats—like breaking a utility pole barehanded or smashing a metal table—are not taken literally, as that would violate physical laws and societal logic, turning the story into fantasy.

Combat power is based solely on “actual achievements,” not “exaggerated visual effects.” If a character dodges bullets, the story assumes they have the speed, reflexes, or anticipation to do so and can counterattack accordingly; if they jump high enough to break a marble pillar, it’s accepted they have a way to achieve that height indirectly. But it’s not accepted that they possess the force to crush tons of stone, as that would be unrealistic.

In summary, the story exaggerates beyond reality but does not break the logic of case reasoning or social order.

There is no need to consider “superhuman crimes” in the cases, nor “supernatural beings” causing modern society to collapse.