The group continued the meeting as Fushimi Roku gathered his thoughts, opened the system page, and began to slack off.
Last night, he unlocked an achievement titled "Ten Slashes," earning him additional attribute points, which he used to boost his speed to an A-level. Once each attribute reached an A-level, he couldn’t just add points to it; a specific "upgrade task" had to be completed.
For instance, to upgrade his speed from A to S, the prerequisite task is: Challenge "Ice Solidification" on Mont Blanc, on the roof of Europe - the Alps, sliding down from an altitude of 4,800 meters.
Fushimi Roku glanced over it, not taking it to heart. He wasn’t the kind of hot-blooded protagonist who would go to any lengths to become stronger. He had no time for such ridiculous tasks.
However, the task to upgrade Intelligence from A to S-Class piqued his interest.
"Upgrade Task: Incite 100 people to complete the perfect crime."
He considered that he didn’t have any strange hobbies but thought it was akin to farmers planting crops. Sprinkle some seeds, let them take root, bloom, and bear fruit, and you could harvest at any time.
In this way, even if there were cases in his jurisdiction, he could relax and slack off. It was a win-win situation.
At this thought, the little angel and the little devil appeared again.
By now, the angel figurine was already on its last legs, bruised and battered, clothes tattered, even the halo above its head was cracked. Despite that, it still risked its life to dissuade Fushimi Roku from entertaining this idea.
"Aren’t you aiding the wicked? You’ve barely cleaned up a mess, and now you’re creating another batch. What’s the point?"
"Besides, excessive intelligence isn’t necessarily a good thing! Look at Minamoto Tamako; she’s pretty clueless. Who knows, you might end up like her one day with some brain issues!"
As soon as the little angel finished speaking, the little devil appeared. She had taken on the image of Kawai, dressed in leather attire with a large area of fair skin exposed in the middle, a heart-shaped tail behind her pert bottom.
The little devil sat on Fushimi Roku’s shoulder, slyly persuading, "Inciting doesn’t necessarily mean turning people evil; it could be doing good! For example, if you encounter a wife abused by her husband, wouldn’t it be good to teach her how to resist? There are also bullied children, oppressed elderly, and intimidated honest people..."
"Sophistry! You’re distorting their values!" the angel figure shouted angrily.
Just as the two figures were about to fight, Kaga Keido suddenly clapped his hands, calling out, "Mr. Fushimi, Officer Minamoto, please come to the stage to explain the situation next."
Fushimi Roku snapped back to reality, feeling like a student caught daydreaming by the teacher. Fortunately, Minamoto Tamako spoke first, and he quickly realized that Kaga Keido wanted them to elaborate on the details of the previous two cases.
The Ghost Shadow Incident and the Jumping Case had nothing to hide. Fushimi Roku explained everything, including admitting that he attempted to shoot Nagashima Takeshi when Yukimura Aoi fell, resulting in his suspension.
Minamoto Tamako also supplemented her profiling results and anxiously stated that there was still a child at the scene, urging the investigation department to focus on searching for the missing person.
"The child has been found."
Kaga Keido paused and added, "She is alive but in poor mental condition."
Hearing this, not only Minamoto Tamako but even Fushimi Roku was taken aback.
Last night, he had gotten Taira Sakurako’s whereabouts from Nagashima Takeshi, learning that she hid in a suitcase and was thrown off the rooftop by Nagashima Takeshi. He assumed she was dead. If she were alive, Yukimura Aoi would have at least entrusted the child to him before jumping.
Kaga Keido took out a page of notes and read from the testimony:
"At that time, I didn’t dare to follow, watching them run farther and farther away, feeling I should do something... So I opened the window, stretched my head out, and looked eagerly. After a while, Nagashima Takeshi dropped the suitcase, which just happened to hit the air conditioning unit outside my window and bounced in front of me. Instinctively, I reached out and held onto it with all my strength..."
Putting down the paper, Kaga Keido calmly said, "This is Yasukawa Seiji’s testimony. He admitted to being selfish, having not called the police after rescuing the child, and instead attempting to raise her on his own... Honestly, I don’t understand what goes through the mind of someone like him."
Minamoto Tamako let out a heavy sigh of relief, finally letting her heart settle. She felt like twenty pounds of iron had been lifted from her body, experiencing a sense of release after tension.
Fushimi Roku suddenly understood. No wonder no one initially found Taira Sakurako’s body, and no wonder Yukimura Aoi wandered around the apartment building.
He had long felt puzzled about why Nagashima Takeshi would shout, ’As long as you jump, the child can live.’ It turned out Nagashima Takeshi always knew the child was hidden across the way, waiting for Yukimura Aoi to come to him.
Yasukawa Seiji performed the ghost act because his conscience was guilty, having taken something of utmost importance to someone. That’s why, when begging Fushimi Roku for help, he said, ’I felt it was a pity to lose it, so I picked it up.’
"Considering the child received thorough care afterward and suffered no secondary mental trauma, the prosecution doesn’t intend to press charges against him."
After speaking, Kaga Keido began to assign investigation tasks.
The Toyota Police Station’s forensic team is responsible for DNA comparison at the scene and hair analysis; the second group of criminal police is responsible for visiting residents of Sugamo Apartment and inquiring about Nagashima Takeshi’s mental state before his death; one group will visit the Inakawa Association, synchronizing the interrogation of those two Yakuza... Finally, Minamoto Tamako and Fushimi Roku were assigned a relatively relaxed but somewhat tricky task.
"That little girl is likely a witness. The two of you are responsible for questioning her and trying to get a complete statement. If you can’t, it’s okay, just do your best. Remember to notify the child’s family to come and pick her up."
Kaga Keido organized the files on the table, stood up, and said, "If there are any questions, look for Kitahara Affairs Officer. That is all, dismissed."
Everyone stood up, bowed, and said in unison, ’You have worked hard.’
Minamoto Tamako hadn’t slept all night but remained full of energy. As everyone gathered their things and left the meeting room, she ran to find Kitahara Affairs Officer sitting on the platform and learned that Taira Sakurako had been placed in the Tokyo Metropolitan Mental Hospital. She couldn’t wait to start the investigation.
Fushimi Roku grabbed her tuft of hair, holding her in place, and then asked the affairs officer, "If that child doesn’t have parents or a place to go, how do we arrange for her?"
"Contact the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and send the child to them. They will handle it appropriately." Kitahara Affairs Officer adjusted his thick glasses.
"What is the usual procedure?" Minamoto Tamako pressed.
"Notify relatives for adoption. If there are no relatives, send her to a child care facility or foster family," Kitahara Affairs Officer said.
"Can I adopt her!" Minamoto Tamako’s hair stood upright.
She felt it was her responsibility. As a patrol police officer, she was accountable for such a heinous crime occurring in her jurisdiction during her tenure.
No matter what, Minamoto Tamako wanted to make amends to that child. She wanted to give Taira Sakurako a ’warm dreamlike home’—belated justice should always come with some compensation.