On the following day, during the investigative headquarters’ meeting, Asai Ayumi put forward the hypothesis Aoyama Xiu Xin had made the previous evening.
Asai Youki indicated that he would suggest Police Headquarters increase the police force and strengthen security at Tokyo’s various banks.
He and his daughter had probably already agreed on this matter at home last night, and today it was just a matter of going through the official procedures at work.
After the meeting concluded, everyone dispersed.
Aoyama Xiu Xin made a beeline for the restroom but unexpectedly bumped into an acquaintance there, a former subordinate from his time at Police Headquarters—Tanaka Noriaki.
Tanaka Noriaki also saw him and immediately averted his gaze, bowing, "Police Chief Aoyama.
"No, no, no, thanks to you, I’m no longer a police chief," said Aoyama Xiu Xin with a chuckle.
In his memory, this man had been one of the original host’s closest subordinates during his tenure at Police Headquarters. The original host had often looked after him at work, but in the end, under the coercion and bribery of Sato Rich, he had also betrayed his boss.
Although that was before I had come through time.
Had it not been for their betrayal, providing false testimony for Sato Rich, the original host would not have been demoted and relocated; and had I arrived here with a higher position, their betrayal would have affected not just the original host but me as well!
For someone as vengeful as I am, Sato Rich, the main offender, is naturally someone I want to retaliate against, and so are accomplices like Tanaka Noriaki.
Such logic may seem unreasonable to anyone normal.
But is Aoyama Xiu Xin a normal person?
He’s not even fucking human!
Faced with Aoyama Xiu Xin’s retort, Tanaka Noriaki felt very embarrassed, his face turning from red to white, completely at a loss, and could only keep his head buried very low, "I am truly sorry, Mr. Aoyama. My wedding with my girlfriend was approaching, and I really couldn’t afford to lose my job."
So, you almost cost me my job?
"Heh, now that the wedding is over, you don’t even invite me, your former boss, for a drink. Mr. Tanaka, that’s really not acceptable," said Aoyama Xiu Xin, as if talking to an old friend, without a hint of anger. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he asked with a grin, "By the way, is your wife pretty?"
Although Tanaka Noriaki felt a bit guilty, upon hearing Aoyama Xiu Xin’s loaded question, anger suddenly welled up in him, and he raised his head to say, "Mr. Aoyama, there’s no need to be so passive-aggressive. Yes, I bore false witness and framed you, but if you were in my shoes, you’d surely make the same decision. After all, every man for himself."
The more he spoke, the more righteous he felt.
"A dog thinks everyone else is of its kind," Aoyama Xiu Xin said contemptuously with a sneer, unbuckling his belt and taking out his tool to urinate while adding, "You haven’t answered my question though—is your wife pretty?"
He was particularly interested in this issue. It was important.
"Idiot!" Tanaka Noriaki fumed, clenched his fists, stared daggers at Aoyama Xiu Xin, and said word by word, "If you dare touch my wife, I will make you pay the price!"
"Hey, I’m just wondering if your wife is pretty, why are you overreacting?" Aoyama Xiu Xin asked with an innocent, harmless look.
Seeing Aoyama Xiu Xin with such a face only infuriated Tanaka Noriaki more, prompting him to sneer and say, "Aoyama Xiu Xin, don’t tell me you still think you’re my boss? We’re on the same level now! So please, understand your position and stop trying to lord it over me like you’re somehow superior!"
Having said that, he buckled his belt and turned to leave.
"Tsk, such a narrow-minded ghost," Aoyama Xiu Xin shrugged helplessly, muttering to himself, "You care so much about your job, but I wonder if you’d be willing to offer your newlywed wife as a peace offering to save your position when I return to Police Headquarters?"
"Ah! Mr. Tanaka, you really do make one look forward to your decision. I can hardly wait to get back to Police Headquarters, ha, hahaha, hahaha..."
Ignoring the strange looks of others entering the restroom, he walked out laughing heartily.
He was the very image of a villain about to make a major comeback.
"Mr. Aoyama, where did you go? You disappeared right after the meeting," Asai Ayumi greeted Aoyama Xiu Xin with Nakamura, her tone slightly complaining.
"Just talking off the top of my head here," Aoyama Xiu Xin said casually, "Tokyo’s getting hotter by the day. I just went to air out the promotion device, it’s sorted now, let’s go."
Asai Ayumi didn’t catch the hidden meaning in his words and took the lead with Aoyama Xiu Xin and Nakamura Shinichi trailing behind as they started today’s investigation on Takeda Ichiro.
Police Headquarters took Asai Youki’s report very seriously and dispatched additional police forces to protect various banks throughout Tokyo that very day.
The afternoon came quickly.
Inside a house in Tokyo Meguro District, a young man with medium-length hair was roaring with anger, his face red as he angrily kicked over a chair in front of him.
Surrounding him were four young men in their twenties or thirties, all with anxiety etched on their faces.
Several black masks were carelessly tossed on the floor.
"Big brother, what do we do now? All the banks’ security has been tightened. Our plans are completely messed up," a blond man said, frowning.
They were the out-of-towners who had bought guns and ammunition from Yamamoto Ken, and they had already cased a particular bank, ready to strike today.
If this job had gone through, they’d be with nightclub beauties.
Fail, and they’d end up as beauties in prison.
But when they drove to the target bank, they found the situation different from their reconnaissance: more police were on duty outside than before, which made them think their plan had been exposed. They retreated hastily out of fear.
To avoid being followed during their retreat, they deliberately circled around Tokyo City, only to find that not just their targeted bank, but all banks in Tokyo had suddenly beefed up their security.
This was a relief to them, to some extent.
Yet they also felt like cursing.
Earning a bit of money had never seemed so damn hard!
The man with the medium-length hair settled back down on the sofa, snatched a cigarette out of one of his underling’s mouth, and began smoking it with a dark expression, "What do we do now? What else can we do? Of course, we cancel the original plan and wait for the right moment. We can’t just pull out now, can we?"
They all had criminal records and had taken great risks coming to Tokyo. Purchasing guns and ammunition had cost them a pretty penny, and their initial capital was already spent. If their startup project failed mid-way, it would be a huge loss.
"Big brother, there’s an old Chinese saying, ’A setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise,’" said a young man with glasses, speaking languidly. It was clear from his demeanor that he was the brains of the team, "Under these circumstances, there’s only one possibility: a competitor has spooked the quarry and drawn police attention. The moment this competitor is caught, police vigilance will be at its lowest. That’s our chance to act, and our chances of success will be even higher."
"Right on!" The agitated man with medium-length hair was momentarily stunned but soon showed a pleased expression. He looked around at his brothers and laughed, "Makes sense, a lot of sense! Did you all hear that? This isn’t bad news, it’s good news. So everyone, stay patient and wait."
"Alright!" the others responded in unison.
Of course, the search headquarters had no idea that a group of big-time thieves was lying low, waiting for their chance. The investigation into Takeda Ichiro made no progress for three consecutive days.
The guy had vanished into thin air.
It cast a shadow over everyone involved.
That is, until the fourth day, when Sato Rich suddenly brought in good news that broke the deadlock.