Tokyo Wingman King

With the yen depreciating in recent weeks, there has been an increasing number of foreign tourists near Tokyo Tower, and cafes in Sumida and Koto wards have become fully booked.

It seems the private meeting in the coffee shop is not going to happen.

Since Ryuzoji paid for lunch, Asama reciprocated by paying for a few bottles of water at the convenience store.

Yes, the profit margin for water is indeed higher than that for catering.

The two then found a quiet spot to sit down in Sarue Onshi Park next to Yokojūken River.

For a long time, Yuanjiang Enci Park was a place for storing timber, and the surrounding area used to be paddy fields. So apart from its considerable size and a white clock tower in the center of the lawn, there is nothing particularly noteworthy about the park.

As its name suggests, this imperial park has a close relationship with the Imperial Family. Just as Ueno Park, where Ueno Zoo is located, was a royal residence before it was granted imperial status, Inokashira Park, next to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, was a royal forest before it was granted imperial status.

To be honest, the Imperial Family owes its vast wealth to Emperor Meiji. After all, the Japanese Imperial Family, much like the Eastern Zhou emperors, was surrounded by powerful figures from time to time. The valuable properties were either shogunate assets or temple lands, and the five regent families also lined their own pockets. After Emperor Meiji nationalized these properties, the Imperial Family's wealth suddenly increased significantly.

The good times didn't last long. After the war, the emperor became a figurehead. The power of the temples was completely scattered, and the shogunate became a thing of the past. Instead, the five regent families, who had been lying low for many years, and the financial groups they supported and controlled, became the biggest winners on this land.

Will these winners build a benevolent utopia for everyone on this land?
Asama shook his head and laughed at his own foolish idea.

The fact that Tokyo is the only dominant power speaks volumes.

Gu—gu—ga—ga—

Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp~~~
Pigeons, magpies, sparrows, crows, doves, light-vented bulbuls, and white-eyes—these resident birds of the city, fattening up for the winter, are far noisier than in the summer.

The location was chosen correctly.

This is indeed a suitable place for a private conversation—in this vast park, apart from birds, there are only two living people, Asama and Ryuzoji.

Sumida Ward has many parks, but this one isn't particularly special, so not many people would make a special trip here. Plus, it's a weekday; adults are at work and children are at school, so naturally, there aren't many people around.

Why can't even the elderly see it?
The answer is probably that they haven't retired yet. Several old men who frequently jog in Zhi Park and are familiar with Pochettino are all landlords; they are exceptions who don't have financial pressure.

As for why there are no tourists?
Most citywalkers who are fascinated by Tokyo would probably think that visiting an ordinary garden like Sarue Onshi Park, which only has trees, is a waste of time.
There were very few benches in the park, and the only wooden bench we found had several clumps of fresh white and green bird droppings on it.

Seeing that there were no chairs nearby and this was the most secluded corner, Asama took out tissues and disinfectant wipes to clean the cold wooden chair before walking to a trash can 100 meters away to throw away the trash.

This park is quite interesting. Looking around, there's only one trash can for recycling plastic bottles, with a sign that reads, "[Please do not litter, please take your personal trash home]".

Asama, clutching a dry tissue sticky with bird droppings in one hand and a wet tissue sticky with bird droppings in the other, obediently headed home.

I'll put these in plastic bags and deal with them at the hotel tonight.

From the moment he left until his return, Ryuzoji Seiwa kept a close eye on his every move.

The girl was still standing in front of the chair, hesitant to sit down.

Her dress was white and thin; she must have been suffering from a young lady's obsessive-compulsive disorder.

They have absolutely no revolutionary spirit.

If it were Shinazugawa, he would have already sat down on it.

Asama couldn't help but compare this young lady of the Ryuzoji family to Rize Shinazugawa.

"What? The water's too cold? Or your scalp's itchy?"

"What do you mean?"

"nothing."

Asama shrugged, packed up the trash, and pulled a thin blanket from his bag to place on the stool. The blanket was a free gift from the seller when he ordered a large batch of books for exams and ethics class.

The blanket had this sentence printed on it: "[I believe it is legal for me to take a break]".

This is from a letter Chekhov wrote to his publisher. The irony lies in the helplessness with which this greatest satirist of humankind resisted capital.

Ryuzoji Seiwa didn't seem to mind the words on the blanket. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to sit down.

"Thank you."

"Why are you being polite now?"

The girl's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again.

"My politeness is directed at the issue, not the person. If you can do fewer outrageous things and show more responsibility as an adult, you will earn more of my respect."

Asama leaned back in his chair, which consisted of three wooden planks, and said...
"Since you say I'm an undercover agent sent by the Kujo family to investigate KKIS, why can't you treat those so-called outrageous things as a necessary disguise for me to complete my mission?"

"Huh, so now you're admitting you're a member of the Kujo family?"

Ryuzoji sneered.

"No, no, no, [the people sent by the Kujo family] and [the people of the Kujo family] are two different things."

"Then try cursing the head of the Kujo family!"

"Kujo Misaka is a pig."

"You really are from the Kujo family. People who usually serve the Kujo family wouldn't leave themselves with this kind of leverage. You rarely see someone as fearless as you outside the main Kujo family."

This statement is equivalent to Chinese viewers believing that characters like Hou Liangping in TV dramas must have powerful backgrounds—that their fearlessness must stem from something they rely on.

"Oh my, aren't there plenty of cases in this world where exploited employees verbally abuse their heartless bosses? I'm not one of you."

Ryuzoji stared intently at Asama's dark circles.

When this person isn't acting strangely, he exudes a faint sense of death that doesn't seem fake, typical of a corporate slave.

"So you've always viewed the Kujo family through a victim's lens?"

"No, no, no, I've always thought that the people in the Cloud Peak are all stinking garbage, filthy, insidious, and muddy pests, and idiots who make things worse. Even though you also curse them, and you're not stinking, filthy, or stupid, that doesn't stop you from belonging to them."

Asama scrutinized Toyo Eiwa's forbidden flower with the same gaze one would use when examining factory prototypes.

Ryuzoji didn't get angry or waver, nor did she refute anything. On the contrary, she felt that the strange face of [Shinichiro Kondo] wasn't as annoying as she had imagined.

This Mr. Kondo, like Shizumi Asama, was perhaps a man born into a prestigious family.

"Then why do you still work for the Kujo family?" Ryuzoji asked curiously.

"When have I ever admitted that I am a member of the Kujo family faction?"

Asama took a bottle of warm oolong tea out of the plastic bag and handed it to him, but Ryuzoji took out the only can of grape-flavored Fanta in the bag.

“But more than one person says you are.” Ryuzoji scrutinized [Shinichiro Kondo]’s facial expression again, trying to find a flaw.

"Don't you feel cold drinking this?" Asama asked, changing the subject as he watched the girl unscrew the tab.

"A harmless attempt. Don't change the subject, what is your purpose in coming to KKIS?"

"Teaching, just to earn a salary."

"You're lying." "Fine, I'll just collect the paycheck."

"."

Ryuzoji felt a slight dissatisfaction with Asama's lack of honesty and continued to press for answers.
"The salary you're talking about isn't actually paid by KKIS, is it?"

Asama twisted open the Suntory oolong tea that Ryuzoji didn't want, took a sip, and said...
"Since you don't trust me, why keep asking me questions? How about this, I know where there's a lie detector. Why don't we go together and I'll ask you one question each?"

"No need. Since I invited you to cooperate, it's because I trust you."

Hearing Ryuzoji's obvious lie, Asama couldn't help but laugh.

"You've never given me a friendly look from the start. Is that all the trust you have in me?"

Ryuzoji's heart skipped a beat, and he said unhappily,
"Trusting someone and disliking someone are not contradictory. Trust is based on objective information to make a judgment about you, while dislike is purely a subjective emotion. Stalin disliked Zhukov, but that did not prevent him from believing in Zhukov's military capabilities."

"Oh, so you're actually praising someone you dislike as General Zhu? Does that mean the class monitor doesn't want to use the lie detector?"

"No, I don't want to be taken to some unknown place by someone I hate."

"What if I told you I could have this lie detector delivered right now?"

Ryuzoji's expression relaxed upon hearing this.

"Having this kind of ability only proves that your identity as a teacher is completely fake."

"What's wrong with knowing a few tech gurus abroad?"

"Tell me, which foreign tech guru can send you a lie detector so quickly? Tell me the name, and I'll look it up right now."

“We can’t just reveal his privacy, but I can guarantee that a lie detector will be sent over.”

Ryuzoji maintained his composure by drinking a cold, slightly spicy Fanta. He seemed to remember something and sneered.
"Come on. Enough with the bragging. Besides, our Mr. Kondo seems to have forgotten that he once told me he could easily tell if someone was lying. Now he has to use a lie detector to talk to me. It seems that people with a history of lying really can't be trusted."

"Class monitor, you've made another logical fallacy. I'm bringing the lie detector because I can easily tell if you're lying or not. I'm protecting your rights and helping you verify everything I say. If you don't believe me, aren't you the one who needs the lie detector more?"

Ryuzoji realized the loophole and felt a pang of regret. She could only bite the bullet and say...
"There's no need for that, because I don't believe you can see through my lies, and I have no reason to lie to you. There's no question of one of us accommodating or protecting the other. Okay, you can ask your questions now."

Asama, of course, didn't want to really trouble Komaba.

He twisted the cap of the oolong tea bottle and asked.

"What was the deal between you and [KID]? Why did you insist on dragging other people into tutoring with you?"

"Aren't you asking two questions?"

Asama rolled his eyes.
"Let me rephrase the question: What kind of transaction required you to bring other people along for tutoring?"

"[KID]'s executive evaluation. Initiated by Yamagata Ariaki, I was jointly evaluated by the blonde vice president Anna Kim Scott, senior executive Kashiwagi Cecily, and Bōmon Nobutatsu."

Asama tapped the white bottle cap with his fingers, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"The answer is incomplete. I asked about the content. When you say cadre assessment, do you mean that if the entire Class 9 of Grade 1 gets a certain score in the exam, they can become senior cadres?"

Ryuzoji Seiwa nodded.
"Yes, this is the first assessment item, used to measure my leadership."

"Then your answer is still incomplete. Since there's a first item, what are the remaining items?"

"They didn't tell me or prepare anything for me. Let me add some more information: the student council elections will be postponed next month, and [KID] will continue to preside over the rotating student council affairs. Anna Jin revealed that they will organize a surprise exam upon the resumption of classes. The average score and the highest score of Class 9 in the first year must be the highest in the grade to pass."

Asama shook his head and scoffed.
"What's the point of extra classes? Given KKIS's academic environment, the pace of each first-year class is different, and my ethics class is the same. What if they give us exams with knowledge points that are far beyond the current curriculum? What if the student council leaks the answers to other classes in advance? Since it's a surprise exam, they can't possibly tell you what's on the test, can they?"

“I already knew this in advance; they would follow the established teaching plan published on the KKIS website. I could even get the answers to the test questions, but I didn’t want to do that.”

"So, you made a deal with one of the examiners? And the remaining questions were set by two other people?"

Ryuzoji instantly suppressed the surprise in his eyes and calmly said,
“You’ve asked enough questions, Kondo. It’s my turn to ask.”

Asama shrugged, letting Ryuzoji continue.

"Kujou Alice told me that she gradually realized that KKIS's corruption problem had existed for a long time, and their family had always turned a blind eye. Profits could better drive their subordinates, and the Sakon family was also an important pillar of their family."

So the question is, why was Sakon Tomoko sent to prison by Yamagata Ariaki at this time? What exactly did the Sakon family cross the line with the Kujo family?

Asama gave a helpless look.

"Wouldn't it be better if you just asked that Kujo Alice directly? I admit that I got this teaching position at KKIS through connections with the head of the Kujo family. It involves a three-way bet between me, him, and someone else. My bet is that I must teach at KKIS for three years, or produce three qualified students."

"What inside information do you think I could possibly know about the Kujo family? Wasting three years in anonymity at KKIS—what kind of treatment would that be for a returned overseas student from the Kujo family?"

Ryūzōji Chanwa pondered upon hearing this.

Indeed, the verbal information provided by Yamagata Ariaki and Anna Kim was very ambiguous and could not directly prove Kondo Shinichiro's identity.

And this Shinichiro Kondo's background was indeed extraordinary; he was someone who could directly make a bet with Alice Kujo's father.

She still couldn't believe that Shinichiro Kondo had really only come to KKIS to teach.

During this time, she has been doing her best to fulfill Alice Kujo's request and repay the past kindness of the Kujo family.

However, things did not go smoothly, and even the investigation environment changed drastically.

The Yamagata family, Annakin's father, Vice Principal Matsueda Masamune, and Kondo Shinichiro—these people were definitely the driving force behind this change.

But with her limited abilities, she could only infiltrate [KID] to continue her investigation.

I hope Asama Shizusui is willing to help.
Ryuzoji Seiwa suddenly felt dissatisfied with her ex-boyfriend again.

She composed herself, carefully considering [Shinichiro Kondo's] reply, and deliberately frowned, saying...
"That's an irrelevant answer. Let me ask you another question. In your judgment, if the Kujo family has the will to crack down on corruption at KKIS, why are only half of the board members involved? I don't believe the other half are clean."

Asama shrugged.
"If the punishment is unknowable, then the power is unpredictable. Testing the boundaries comes at a price, and no one is willing to be a mine-clearer of the rules now. Finding a vague excuse to eliminate a group of people, while leaving another group to continue to be driven by him in fear, is a cost-effective decision-making skill that is a must-learn for those who wield power."

Sakon might be one of the key members of the winning alliance that allows the Kujo family to exert their power, but winning alliances are always better kept to a minimum; the compensation paid to these members should just cover their loyalty.

"Winning League. Mesquita?"

Because of Shizumi Asama, Ryuzoji knew of this scholar.

"Yes. Although the prejudice, arrogance, and narrow-mindedness in his book are appalling, some of the examples he records are like historical materials and can be used as references. As for the changes in KKIS this time, I think you would get more out of asking Yamagata Ariaki and Kujo Alice, who were directly involved."

Asama drank most of the oolong tea, stared into Ryuzoji's clear eyes, and continued to ask:

"Alright, now it's my turn to continue. The person you've been in contact with is Kim Anna, right? Wait, that's not a question, it's a statement."

The question is—what does Kim Anna want to know from me through you?

Ryuzoji Seiha, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable with this eye contact, looked away.

She glanced at the watch on her slender wrist and said with a strange expression.

"You've already exceeded the time limit. Your fear of women was just a lie, wasn't it?" (End of Chapter)