Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK.

Chapter 466 Eda Ikumi's Troubles

As the sunset once again sank into the crimson sea, it was already 8 p.m., and the night sky was filled with darkness.

"So, will the matter be resolved properly afterward?"

Inside the izakaya, Risa Yasuhara picked up her barley tea and looked up at Ikumi Eda across the table.

Because she has to go to work tomorrow, she doesn't plan to drink today.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that this izakaya was so close by and the owner was someone they knew, they would most likely have chosen a family restaurant instead of the izakaya they were at tonight.

"Isn't that obvious? I've already taken action, so it's definitely going to be a sure thing."

Eda Ikumi responded listlessly, then slumped limply onto the small square table.

Interrogation is a very tiring job.

Even if the suspect seems very cooperative, you can't let your guard down easily. You have to pay attention to their micro-expressions and make judgments at all times.

If the person being interrogated is a seasoned veteran, it will be even more tiring.

Just like that paparazzi we interrogated today.

In terms of attitude, this person was indeed unusually cooperative, answering whatever she asked, but the content of his answers was quite dishonest. At least five out of ten sentences were lies, two were nonsense, and the remaining three might not even be the truth.

After completing the entire interrogation process, she was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"Then why do you look like you've lost half your life?"

Risa Yasuhara took a sip of barley tea, then picked up a skewer of grilled meat and took a bite.

The reason she chose this izakaya wasn't just because it was close by, but also because she suddenly had a craving for their grilled skewers.

While this izakaya may not be as good as a professional grilled bird restaurant when it comes to lanterns, it is absolutely top-notch in other types of grilled skewers, especially their signature charcoal-grilled beef tongue skewers, which are arguably among the top three in Tokyo.

This is evident from the fact that this izakaya always has customers ordering charcoal-grilled beef tongue skewers, regardless of wind or rain, and at one point it was so popular that reservations were required in advance.

She chatted with the owner for a bit when things weren't too busy. According to him, if you want to eat charcoal-grilled beef tongue skewers, you can't make a reservation for the same day anymore. You have to make a reservation a day in advance, and you have to be there before 2 pm. After that time, they're all gone.

"Because that person is too slippery and incredibly difficult to deal with. If you want to get the answer you want, you have to use both soft and hard tactics repeatedly."

Eda Ikumi pinched her swollen nose, her face showing obvious signs of fatigue.

"Even with this, you still can't guarantee that everything he says is true."

As she said this, she vigorously rubbed her hair.

If she had a choice, she would rather write ten reports than engage in verbal battles with such a person. At least the former would always be written according to her wishes, while the latter would require constant wit and courage.

"I understand what you mean. We found a small amount of truth in the lies."

Risa Yasuhara immediately understood what her best friend meant and described it in a very apt way.

“Yes, that’s the feeling.” Eda Ikumi nodded, looking like she was right. “Besides, he’s different from those criminal suspects. You can’t force him.”

If you use force, they'll start yelling and screaming.

Even if the truth is eventually revealed, those media outlets that thrive on chaos have already published their 'out-of-context' news.

She didn't want to cause trouble for her boss.

Especially given that the police chief really took good care of her.

"That was truly torturous."

Risa Yasuhara picked up her barley tea, raised her smooth chin, and gestured for Ikumi Eda to have one.

"Yes, but it's all over now, so the follow-up work will be much simpler."

Eda Ikumi picked up her cup of barley tea and clinked it against Yasuhara Risa's.

They were essentially using tea instead of alcohol.

Do you need to do the finishing touches?

Risa Yasuhara frowned.

This is not the case-handling procedure she is familiar with.

“No, my colleagues can handle this.” Eda Ikumi shrugged. “In fact, they took over after I finished taking their statements, but they came in plainclothes.”

Even if the students at the South Seong Private High School are highly adaptable, they will still have doubts when they see a large number of police officers coming and going from the school.

Furthermore, the bigger the commotion, the easier it will be for Watanabe's side to be exposed.

But thinking about it carefully, they really did team up this time to clean up Watanabe's mess.

"No wonder."

Upon hearing this, Risa Yasuhara nodded thoughtfully.

If that's the case, then it makes sense. No wonder she didn't see the paparazzi after school; he must have already been taken back to the police station.

"So, can you, as a teacher, tell me, why is Watanabe such a troublemaker?"

During the process of taking the statement, she also asked some questions indirectly, including but not limited to why they were so obsessed with Watanabe. The answers she received left her speechless.

People say that Watanabe has a huge following, and his appearance and inner qualities are enough to make him a superstar. With proper training, he could become a super singer who far surpasses Jay.

After saying all that, the paparazzi added with a smile that this was a consensus among people in their circle.

What she found most indescribable was that although the paparazzi was smiling when he said those words, his expression and tone were incredibly serious.

People genuinely believe this from the bottom of their hearts.

This gave her an indescribable sense of surrealism.

"Maybe it's because he was terrified of being poor before?"

Risa Yasuhara put down her barley tea and took another bite of the grilled skewer.

You's parents are indeed quite exaggerated. Their family is not poor at all, but they have created the image of a working-class family struggling to make ends meet through their performance.

Then, since You is sensible at a young age and has some talent, shouldn't you hurry up and monetize it?

"No, I mean, when he went to sing at bars, he wasn't short of money, was he? Didn't you say it was a bet between him and someone?"

Eda Ikumi rolled her eyes, somewhat disdainful of her best friend's attempt to twist the facts.

They've known each other for so many years, yet they're still not as good as someone they've known for only two years.

She could clearly sense that Risa was speaking up for Watanabe.

"Oh, I misunderstood you. I thought you were talking about 'Watanabe' and 'Jay'."

Upon hearing this, Risa Yasuhara immediately began to explain.

She truly misunderstood Yu Mei's meaning.

"In addition, through that paparazzi, or rather, through an informant in the industry we found, we obtained a definite piece of information after double confirmation." Eda Ikumi didn't dwell on it and went straight to what happened next. "The reason why this paparazzi risked entering the school to take photos was because someone paid a lot of money, hoping that Watanabe would be exposed in the public eye."

"what do you mean?"

Risa Yasuhara put down her skewers and unconsciously frowned.

"That means there might be more cases of voyeurism like this in the future." Eda Ikumi took another sip of barley tea. "And that's a conservative estimate."

To put it bluntly, this will definitely happen again.

"So this time, it's meant to serve as a warning to others..."

"It's useful, but not that useful."

Eda Ikumi interrupted her best friend and said these words.

"How long do you think it can last?"

Risa Yasuhara asked this question very seriously.

"One month? Two months? To be honest, I'm not really sure either." Eda Yumi pouted. "What I can tell you is that the paparazzi, or rather, the people in the entertainment industry, genuinely believe that Watanabe is a promising talent."

"So..." She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

"The only thing to be thankful for now is that they don't know that Watanabe, 'Watanabe' and 'Jay' are the same person."

Risa Yasuhara shook her head, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

She had discussed this issue with Watanabe before, and Watanabe's answer was very nonchalant. He said that if you stand by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. It was only a matter of time before he was exposed. His only thought was to avoid being exposed before graduating from high school.

It now seems that he will have to put in a lot of effort to achieve his initial expectations.

The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease; moreover, this tree itself is not truly still either.

“Ah,” Eda Ikumi responded, picking up a skewer of grilled meat. “Watanabe is really a bit… a pervert.”

This is what she means.

She had only ever seen singers cross over into acting and then receive critical acclaim for their films; she had never seen a singer dabble in novel writing and even win the Naoki Prize.

"Well, that's how it is." Risa Yasuhara took out her phone to check the time, then placed her bowl of ochazuke in front of her. "Otherwise, why do you think the young lady of the Amamiya family would accept two other girls?"

"If she didn't really like him so much, and if he didn't have the ability to do it, do you think she would be willing to do it?"

Even though Ayana wasn't favored in the Amamiya family, her experiences, knowledge, and perspective were completely different.

If Yu hadn't demonstrated these abilities, then even if Ayana liked him a lot, she wouldn't have accepted Ryoko and Yuki.

The essence of love is possessiveness.

However, this possessiveness can be suppressed, provided that the other party is outstanding enough.

"I don't think so. Ayana Amamiya is, after all, a daughter of a wealthy family." Ikumi Eda didn't rush to eat her ochazuke but continued eating her skewers. "So, if you really have to say, did he fight for this himself?"

"You can say that."

After swallowing the rice in her mouth, Risa Yasuhara continued the conversation.

"I don't understand young people these days."

Eda Ikumi took another bite of the beef skewer, a complex look appearing in her beautiful eyes.

In fact, such things are not uncommon in wealthy and powerful families, and it is not uncommon for people to be outwardly united but inwardly divided and each going their own way. But it is extremely rare for things to be like this during one's student days.

And those who agree willingly, purely out of affection, are an extremely rare minority.

From this perspective, Watanabe can indeed be considered a 'succubus'.

"Compared to this, will today's interrogation cause you any trouble?"

Risa Yasuhara tilted her head, a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Trouble? What trouble? You don't mean... cough cough cough."

Eda Ikumi paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. However, she choked on the chili powder-sprinkled skewers because she laughed too fast.

"..."

Risa Yasuhara didn't respond, but silently picked up the teapot beside her and refilled Ikumi Eda's empty teacup, which the latter then gulped down in one go.

After drinking most of her tea, the dashing policewoman finally showed a relieved expression.

“There are plenty of people who resent me, but these petty, scheming people don’t have the guts to retaliate. Besides, I’m a policeman, and my whole family are policemen. If we were afraid of being retaliated against by these people, why would we be policemen?”

After catching her breath, Eda Ikumi said the following.

She didn't care at all about being resented by the suspects or being threatened with nonsensical words.

Anyone can make threats; if you're looking for revenge, the result will definitely be being sent back to jail.

Moreover, whether they can get revenge is still questionable.

At least her fighting performance at the police academy and in the police station was among the best.

Unarmed, she could easily take down two or three untrained adult men.

"Brilliant!"

Risa Yasuhara gave a thumbs up, then took a big shovelful of ochazuke (rice with tea).

"Next time you say something awesome, could you be a little more serious? That way I can really experience it!"

Eda Ikumi rolled her eyes coquettishly.

To be honest, my best friend did give me face and support me, but the way she did so made me feel a little uneasy.

I showed my support, but not completely.jpg
"I'll try my best, but I'm just really hungry."

Risa Yasuhara offered an explanation.

"Alright, now that I've finished talking about your students, it's time for me to pour out my grievances."

Eda Ikumi pouted, thinking to herself, "If I were to believe you, that would be strange. They've known each other for so many years, how could they not know each other's personalities?"

"Speaking!"

Risa Yasuhara sat up straight, adopting a posture of listening attentively, though the grains of rice on her lips somewhat spoiled the atmosphere.

"I think I told you about my cousin before, right?"

Eda Ikumi couldn't help but sigh.

She can hold back when talking about work, but when it comes to talking about family relatives, she really has a hard time keeping it up.

"I told you, it's your strong-willed aunt who got married and divorced, raised her child on her own, and even got a promotion."

Risa Yasuhara nodded.

To be honest, Yu Mei listened to the story of her aunt as if it were a TV drama plot.

It's mainly because it's so legendary.

"Her daughter, who is my cousin, is in the second year of junior high school this year. She is extremely rebellious and says she wants to become a delinquent girl, the kind who rides motorcycles."

Eda Ikumi touched her chest and felt a rush of blood pressure.

"My aunt has asked everyone in the family to help, but no one has been able to pull my cousin out of her rebellious mindset. Then, to be precise, around the time I got out of school, my aunt called me and subtly mentioned this matter."

"What should I do?"

Risa Yasuhara's lips twitched.

If there's one thing that's the hardest in the world, it's changing a person's mind.

Similarly, the simplest thing in the world is changing a person's mind.

However, whether something is difficult or easy is not determined by the educator, but by the mindset of the student.

Given the situation of Eda Ikumi's cousin, the former is clearly more difficult.

Given Yu Mei's impatient nature, wouldn't she be furious?

"I do not know."

Eda Ikumi couldn't help but sigh again.

Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

She can solve the problem of the suspect, but she can't solve the problem of her cousin.

Taking action won't work.