Chapter 89 - 88: The Art of the Department is Meetings_1

Words : 1370 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

The difference between Oden and Hot Pot is that the former is cooked with stock, while the latter tends to use boiling water. But what you throw into them is pretty much the same. Based on Aozawa’s tastes, Morimoto Chiyoda prepared three types of dipping sauces: sweet, salty, and spicy. Six bottles of ice-cold beer were placed on the table. Aozawa picked up an ice-cold beer and clinked bottles with Morimoto Chiyoda. "Cheers!" He finished it in one gulp, let out a satisfied belch, and said, "When it’s hot, beer needs to be ice-cold to really hit the spot." "Absolutely." Morimoto Chiyoda couldn’t drink as fiercely as younger people, needing to pause after getting halfway through her beer. She liked to drink. However, considering her health, she normally wouldn’t get wasted, just drinking a few bottles on rest days, sipping in moderation. Aozawa picked up a piece of beef dipped in spicy sauce. Just then, his phone on the table lit up, emitting a DING. Morimoto Chiyoda glanced over. "Who sent a message?" "A classmate." "A girl?" "Not just a girl, but also a transfer student, the young lady from Phoenix Academy." Aozawa unlocked his phone while introducing her to Morimoto Chiyoda. "We’re desk mates and friends. That’s the situation for now." "For now, huh～" Morimoto Chiyoda drew out her words in a sultry tone, propping her cheek with her left hand and giving him a sidelong glance. "You wouldn’t happen to have any designs on her, would you?" "I’m afraid she has designs on me, considering how outstanding I am." "Confidence is good, but I hope you’re not becoming narcissistic." Morimoto Chiyoda made a jab; she treasured Aozawa, but that didn’t mean everyone else felt the same. "Chitose, you really have no sense of humor," Aozawa retorted, tapping his index finger on the chat interface. Phoenix Academy Maggie had sent two messages, both complaining about how security in Japan was getting worse. "There’s been another murder in Shinjuku, Nakaochiai." Aozawa could guess with his toes that the murder case Phoenix Academy Maggie mentioned involved him. Still, Aozawa feigned curiosity and replied, "Who’s the killer?" "Dio." Phoenix Academy Maggie typed back, then picked up a French snail with her fork and ate it in one bite. She didn’t care about the taste; her attention was focused on the chat as she typed rapidly with her index finger. "He’s also the culprit behind the incidents at Ishita Financial Company and Konishi Financial Company—a white man of European or American descent, over 1.9 meters tall." "You sure know a lot." "This is basic homework for a young lady like myself. As I see it, that guy won’t last long. Killing Yakuza is one thing, but daring to destroy the World True Love and Peace Church supported by Congressman Yasuda and then causing the Dharma King to publicly disclose the bribery of the congressman... Congressman Yasuda will certainly want to pull out all the stops to capture Dio." Japanese courts almost never hand down death sentences. However, angering those high-powered individuals usually meant one wouldn’t even make it to court to stand trial. During the arrest, unfortunate events often occurred, like the perpetrator resisting arrest and ending up shot dead. Aozawa asked, "Who is Congressman Yasuda?" "Yasuda Masao, a powerful member of the Republic Party with good connections to the CIA." As the heir of Phoenix Academy, Phoenix Academy Maggie had to remember those intricate relationships from a young age: who to pay attention to in each faction, who was behind them, as well as the extensive network of relatives within Phoenix Academy. Laid out in a list, the complexity of these relationships could make one’s head spin. But Phoenix Academy Maggie was used to it. Whenever someone she knew was mentioned, she could immediately recall the person’s faction and who was silently supporting them from behind. This, too, was a necessary part of a young lady’s education. "Is that so? I truly hope Congressman Yasuda can bring the culprit to justice swiftly, and definitely not end up getting killed by the culprit in return." Aozawa tapped send with his index finger. He suddenly felt his words sounded rather insincere and a bit smug. Morimoto Chiyoda, seeing him engrossed in chatting, felt a bit annoyed and said grumpily, "Would you stop playing with your phone? Can’t you chat after dinner?" "Chitose, that’s some strong jealousy I sense." Aozawa responded with a smile, not abandoning his chat with Phoenix Academy Maggie. He multitasked: eating, talking to Chitose, and replying to Phoenix Academy Maggie. His dinner was busier than a president’s. 「...」 Dinner ended. Phoenix Academy Maggie began a new course and no longer had time to discuss politics with him. Morimoto Chiyoda started to clear the table. Aozawa put his phone in the bedroom and decided to go out for an evening run. It couldn’t quite be called a "night" run. The 5:30 PM sun wasn’t as blazing as it was between 2:00 and 3:00 PM, but it was certainly as bright as the sun at eleven or noon. Aozawa chose his usual route and began to sprint along the streets. Upon reaching the familiar little park, he estimated he had been running for about an hour. "HUFF, HUFF." He gasped for air, walked over to a vending machine, bought a bottle of mineral water, and drank it all in one go. He casually tossed the empty bottle into the trash can and scanned his surroundings with his X-ray Ability, noticing no one around. Aozawa turned, dashed into the woods, transformed into a peregrine falcon, and soared into the sky. He didn’t believe the Metropolitan Police Department could find him through Dio. But he was curious about who comprised the special task force at the MPD, set up specifically to deal with him. 「...」 In the Metropolitan Police Department conference room. Emily wanted to flip the table but had to scream internally instead. This was all part of the job. The MPD had employed her and even paid half her fee in advance, buying out her time until she solved the case. She couldn’t afford to act too wildly. But Emily’s patience was reaching its limit. The first time she had a meeting at the MPD, Emily had enthusiastically shared her speculations about Dio. The second time, when the meeting continued in a different room, Emily’s enthusiasm had halved. By the third meeting, she didn’t have an ounce of enthusiasm left, with only one thought consuming her mind: Damn it! I really wish Dio would kill all these pests! The number of participants at the meetings kept increasing, yet the discussion about Dio kept dwindling. The main issue wasn’t about expanding the task force, but about who should take responsibility for the crimes Dio continuously perpetrated. Officers from local departments, like the Naga Hisashi Police Station, argued that they couldn’t take the fall for this; it should be the responsibility of the MPD, who had set up the task force. Representatives from the MPD’s First Investigation Division responded that they handled violent crimes like murder and robbery. But Dio was a foreigner! Homicides committed by foreign nationals should be managed by the Ministry of Public Security. The Ministry of Public Security argued that Dio was an undocumented foreigner residing in Japan. This indicated a failure by the Immigration Bureau to register his personal details. Why had they missed it? The Immigration Bureau felt unjustly accused. They argued Dio had clearly entered the country illegally, a matter that should fall under the jurisdiction of the MPD’s Anti-Violence Task Force. If the task force had been stricter in cracking down on gang-led human smuggling, there wouldn’t be any undocumented immigrants!Correct content is on The Anti-Violence Task Force was equally unwilling to take the blame, citing insufficient funds and inadequate staffing, thereby dragging the Ministry of Finance into the discussion. A group of elites had been moving between meeting venues since the afternoon. They continued their discussions until 7:00 PM. Finally, they reached a conclusion: it was getting late. They would reconvene the next day to decide which department should publicly bow and apologize for Dio’s killing spree.

Chapter 89 - 88: The Art of the Department is Meetings_1

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