chsdbacks Page 43
Page 43
Yuki Takada stood behind the one-way glass, watching his colleague interrogate Kenichi Yamamoto.
Every piece of evidence points perfectly to this yakuza member, and every step is flawless.
Only he knows how much of this evidence was fabricated by the organization and how much was merely a coincidence.
Miwako Sato came to his side, her face showing weary satisfaction: "Looks like we can close the case now, senpai. Your intuition was right; it was a yakuza vendetta."
Yuki Takada forced a smile: "Yes, it seems so."
Late at night, Yuki Takada stayed alone in his office, finishing the final case report.
Every word felt as heavy as lead. He knew he was burying the truth with his own hands, sending a potentially innocent person to prison—or even to the death row.
His phone rang, and he glanced at it; it was that familiar hidden number.
He walked to the window to answer the phone; outside, the lights of Tokyo resembled the starry sky on the ground.
Yuki Takada did not respond, but listened quietly.
Chapter 66 A Perfect Ending
Looking at the image that flashed through his mind, Yuuki Takada carefully observed his attribute panel.
Host: Yuuki Takada
Age: 25 years old
Position: Police Inspector
Combat: 120 (This skill level improves, allowing for the unleashing of corresponding power and the development of combat instincts during battle.)
Speed: 130 (Increasing the speed value will allow you to reach the pinnacle of agility, enabling you to move nimbly through confined spaces, as elusive as a ghost.)
Disguise: 100 (The higher the disguise ability, the more perfectly one can imitate the appearance, voice, and behavior of others.)
Apprehended: 100 (The apprehended value has increased, significantly enhancing the ability to track and predict criminals.)
Weapons: 100 (The higher your weapon proficiency, the more significantly your accuracy, rate of fire, and reload speed will improve.)
Reasoning: 110 (Improved reasoning ability; able to quickly sort out complex clues, see through the surface of things, and reconstruct the whole picture of an event from the details.)
Looking at the improvements in each attribute, Yuuki Takada smiled.
No?
Nobuo Shimazaki truly lives up to his reputation as a member of a yakuza organization; his attributes are completely different from those of ordinary people.
It seems that the person Gin killed this time was quite good.
The fighting attribute has been increased by 30 points.
The weapon's attributes have been increased by 20 points.
The reasoning attribute has increased by 30 points.
Not bad……
After working for several hours, all the finishing touches were finally completed, and the sky outside the window was already turning white.
"It's finally over." After leaving the interrogation room, Sato Miwako went to the coffee machine and made herself a cup of coffee.
Yuuki Takada nodded to Miwako Sato. "Thank you for your hard work inside. I'll treat you to something nice after get off work."
The two walked out of the building side by side. The cool morning air, carrying a damp mist, rushed towards them, dispelling the slight fatigue from staying up all night.
"I'm really quite tired." Sato Miwako stretched, her bones making a slight cracking sound. Her face showed weariness, but also a sense of relaxation after completing an important task.
"Thanks to Inspector Takada's keen attention to the details of the tattoo and his quick thinking on the spot, we were able to solve this case so quickly."
She turned her head to look at Takada Yuuki. In the dim morning light, his angular profile appeared somewhat soft, but he also seemed more silent than usual.
"You flatter me... Of course, it's also thanks to you and everyone's cooperation that we were able to close the case so quickly." Takada Yuuki replied softly, his gaze fixed on the empty street ahead.
"Inspector Takada, you're being too modest."
"It's always like this, they downplay the credit and give it to people like us." Sato Miwako smiled, then suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, you've been busy all night, are you hungry?"
"I know a really good breakfast place nearby. It should be open by now. Want to grab something to eat together?"
"Is this... a way to celebrate the successful resolution of the case?"
Her invitation carried a hint of natural anticipation.
After last night's highly tense and well-coordinated operation, an indescribable bond seemed to have quietly deepened between them.
Yuki Takada paused slightly.
He should have refused.
Being alone allows you to maintain distance and hide secrets that shouldn't be noticed.
For him, having too much contact with a police officer like Miwako Sato, who is intuitive and has a strong sense of justice, means risk.
But perhaps due to the relaxation after staying up all night, and seeing the expectant look in Sato Miwako's eyes, in the end... he, inexplicably, did not immediately refuse.
Yuki Takada turned to look at Miwako Sato.
The morning light bathed her in a warm glow, and her always bright eyes were looking at him, waiting for his answer.
After a night of running around, her hair was a little messy, and her police uniform jacket was wrinkled from the previous operation, but it made her look exceptionally real and full of life.
It was completely different from the cold darkness within him.
“…Okay.” He uttered a single word, carrying a compromise that even Yuuki Takada himself had not anticipated.
Sato Miwako's face instantly lit up with a smile, brighter than the rising sun: "That's wonderful!"
"Don't worry, Inspector Takada. Please come with me. This way, just around the corner, we'll be there soon."
The breakfast shop is small, but clean and warm, with the aroma of miso soup and grilled saury filling the air.
At this time of day, there are only a few scattered early-rising customers in the store.
They found a seat by the window and sat down.
After ordering a simple main dish of rice, along with the signature grilled saury and miso soup, a brief silence fell over us.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, detached from the police officer's identity and the tense case.
A sense of unfamiliarity, a feeling of belonging to private time, slowly spread.
“Speaking of which…” Sato Miwako held a cup of hot tea handed to her by the shopkeeper in both hands to warm her hands, and broke the silence first, saying, “I’m sorry, Inspector Takada, I was really wrong last night.”
"To be honest, I was a little nervous when Kenichi Yamamoto rushed over immediately. Luckily, you, Takada-senpai, reacted quickly, otherwise I might have really..."
She smiled faintly at Takada Yuuki with lingering fear, "However, it's fortunate that you're here, Takada-senpai, that gives me a special sense of security."
Yuki Takada's fingers tightened slightly as he held the teacup.
Peace of mind?
If Miwako Sato knew the truth, the real purpose behind his precise shot, and the fact that he might have committed far more sins than Kenichi Yamamoto, would she still have such thoughts?
"Sato, I hope you will always remember what I said to you last night: don't try to joke with your life." Takada Yuki only responded with a faint sentence in the end, turning his gaze to the street outside the window that was gradually brightening.
With the owner busy at work, breakfast was quickly brought over from the counter.
Steaming hot rice, grilled saury with grated radish, miso soup—simple food that exudes a comforting energy.
The two ate quietly.
Miwako Sato seemed to enjoy the breakfast and ate with great satisfaction.
Yuki Takada ate little, and his movements were refined yet distant.
“Takada-senpai…” Sato Miwako suddenly put down her chopsticks, her tone becoming slightly more serious. Looking at her with a furrowed brow, she asked, “I always feel that after the case was over, you didn’t seem to be really relaxed.”
Is there anything else that's bothering you?
Yuuki Takada felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
Sato Miwako's observation skills are indeed amazing. He frowned for only a second, but Sato Miwako still noticed this micro-expression.
Yuuki Takada raised his eyes, and when they met, he couldn't reveal any flaws.
He lowered his eyelashes slightly, and when he raised them again, his eyes held a just-right weariness and a heavy look. He said, "I was just thinking that although justice has been served, life can never be saved."
"Nobuo Shimazaki, and those who may have been nearly killed by the suspect... Sometimes catching the murderer is just the end of the story, not an end to all the tragedies."
His words were half true and half false, perfectly concealing his true emotions, while also reflecting the thoughts that a sensitive detective might have.
Upon hearing this, Sato Miwako's eyes softened, and she nodded in agreement: "Yes...that's true."
"Every time a case is closed, I feel gratified, but I also always feel a sense of powerlessness."
“All we can do is try our best to prevent the next tragedy from happening.” Following up on Takada Yuki’s words, Sato Miwako’s voice became even gentler as she softly said, “But, Takada-senpai, it is precisely because we insist on doing this that our police force is able to help those victims and find the truth behind their murders.”
"You, you, you... don't be too hard on yourself."
Her words of comfort were sincere and heartwarming.
At that moment, Yuuki Takada raised his eyes and looked at Miwako Sato seriously.
Yes!
Perhaps only someone like Miwako Sato, who is just starting out in society, would say something like that.
persist in?
the truth?
What is the process, and does it matter?
However, it was all just to achieve the perfect ending required above!
All our efforts have simply flowed onward.
But he ultimately chose to remain silent for a moment, and then softly hummed in agreement.
"Thank you," he said softly, his voice almost inaudible.
Sato Miwako looked at him but did not press him further.
She seemed to understand that Takada-senpai didn't need any more words. She simply picked up the serving chopsticks, took a piece of grilled saury, carefully selected it, dipped it in the grated radish in the small dish next to her, and handed it to Takada-senpai's bowl.
"Takada-senpai, please eat more. You still have a lot of reports to write and you need to have energy." Sato Miwako's tone became light and cheerful again, with a natural and considerate manner like that of a friend.