Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

"Okita-kun, Reia's fall was not an accident; it was a targeted assassination attempt."

While Okita Kyōkyu was still hesitating, Yuzuru Masahiro recounted how he and Hashimoto Reia had narrowly escaped assassination.

On the phone, Okita Kyoku's surprised voice came through, "So that's how it is. Then the disappearances of the first two detectives were indeed related to the assassin. What do you need me to do?"

Kyoku Okita should be unaware of what Chairman Yoshihei Okita did to the two detectives, otherwise he wouldn't have said that.

Masahiro Hanyu said in a serious tone, "I'm telling you this to tell Okita-kun that my investigation was on the right track, which is why I was targeted by the assassin. Therefore, please cooperate with every step of my investigation."

"Mr. Yuzuru is risking his life, so I don't think Mrs. Nagiharu should refuse. I'll come to pick you up immediately and contact Mrs. Nagiharu in the car." Okita Kyōkyu finally agreed.

"No need to trouble you, I'll take a taxi there." For safety reasons, Masahiro Hanyu needs to control his own itinerary and route.

He's still in the hospital. After hanging up the phone, Masahiro Hanyu walked towards the gate.

The investigation department's taxis always appear near Masahiro Hanyu. His pager sends him the license plate number to avoid any mistakes.

Several taxis were parked outside the hospital. He had already spotted the search department's taxi, which was only about thirty meters away.

Masahiro Yuzuru walked quickly over, less than ten meters away.

Suddenly, he heard the roar of an engine behind him. He had a bad feeling and, without turning around or hesitating, quickly darted to the side.

In that split second, a motorcycle sped past his car. If he had hesitated for even 0.1 seconds longer, he would have been hit squarely.

The driver, wearing a helmet, was small in stature, and his gender was indistinguishable. Without stopping, the motorcycle sped away.

Masahiro Hanyu saw a flash of cold light in the hand of the motorcyclist; it must have been some kind of sharp knife.

He looked around. Were assassination attempts against him now ubiquitous? Passersby who witnessed this scene simply thought it was an accident and didn't pay much attention.

Yuzuru Masahiro recalled what Nagiharu had said about Shinji Masato's prediction of the assassin: short, thin, and connected to women.

Was the motorcyclist from earlier the killer?

After looking around, Masahiro Hanyu got into the search department's taxi.

The driver's expression was grave. "I saw it. That motorcycle did it on purpose. Luckily, Mr. Yuzuru dodged quickly. Have you considered temporarily halting the investigation into the assassin, as the assassination attempt against you is becoming increasingly urgent?"

Despite the danger, he still had to go see Lady Nagiharu. If he didn't investigate because of the assassination attempt, he would be giving up halfway.

A commission of 4000 million yen is bound to be risky.

Masahiro Hanyu shook his head slightly. "Please go to Minami-Azabu in Minato Ward. I will continue the investigation. I just hope the investigation department will track down the assassin who tried to kill me."

The driver started the car and drove cautiously. "Please forgive me, our current orders are only to protect Mr. Yuzuru, not to track down the assassin. However, I will report your request."

To ensure his safety and avoid being followed and hunted down, Masahiro Hanyu got out of the car midway and quickly jumped into another taxi sent by the investigation department.

Finally, they arrived safely at the apartment building in Minami-Azabu, Minato Ward, and Masahiro Hanyu got out of the taxi.

Okita Kyoku had already arrived. He came forward to greet him and said, "Mr. Yuzuru, I regret to inform you that Mrs. Nagiharu had to leave due to unforeseen circumstances."

Masahiro Hanyu seemed somewhat surprised. "Oh, you left so suddenly?"

Kyoku Okita nodded. "Yes, for security reasons, Lady Nagiharu rarely leaves here, except in case of emergency."

"I don't know the specifics; Lady Nagiharu didn't say."

Yuzuru Masahiro frowned. He had risked his life to get here, but Lady Nagiharu had left. Was this unintentional or intentional?

"Alright then, I'll stay here and wait for her!" His tone was resolute. "No matter what, I must see Lady Nagiharu."

Kyoku Okita nodded. "Okay, there's a reception room in the apartment. I'll take you there to wait."

Masahiro Hanyu shook his head. "I'll wait outside the apartment."

Entering the heavily guarded apartment building, his freedom was restricted, and he felt imprisoned.

Okita Kyōkyū said, "Then please rest and wait in my car. I'll accompany you and help you find the assassin. It's a task that Mr. Hirano assigned to me."

Masahiro Hanyu looked around. "Thank you for your help! But I'd like to take a walk around this area to see if there's anything unusual. Mr. Okita, would you like to come with me?"

Masahiro Hanyu wanted to visit another secret residence of Lady Nagiharu.

When he went there yesterday, he was always on the sofa, so he didn't know exactly where it was.

However, the investigation department knew about it and arranged for the fire department to conduct an inspection. Masahiro Hanyu is now aware of it as well.

He didn't go directly to that address, lest Okita Kyōkyū, who was with him, become suspicious.

He first walked around the apartment building, and then received a page. It was from Yui Satsuki; although it was all numbers, Masahiro Hanyu could understand it.

He requested that listening devices and locators be installed on Mrs. Nagiharu and Masato Kamishiro's Honda NSX. This request has been approved by the investigation department, which will be responsible for the installation.

The fact that they received a positive response so quickly is likely because the investigation department realized the seriousness of the problem regarding the sacred tea incident.

As for how to locate the target vehicle and how to install eavesdropping and positioning devices, the investigation department is professional and doesn't need Masahiro Hanyu to worry about it.

He continued to survey the area around the apartment building, expanding his search. Two alleyways away, Masahiro Hanyu spotted Mrs. Nagiharu's secret residence.

He couldn't see the couple through the fence.

Looking from this location towards the apartment building where Lady Nagiharu lives, the straight-line distance between the two locations is estimated to be between 200 and 300 meters.

Is there a secret passage connecting the two places underground?

Japan is a country that is prone to earthquakes. Although this residence is not too far from Mrs. Nagiharu's apartment building, it was still a considerable undertaking to build.

Masahiro Hanyu was skeptical about the existence of this secret passage; it was a thought that had crossed his mind at the time.

He walked past the gate of the mansion without raising any suspicion, presumably without arousing Okita Kyōkō's attention. After continuing his pretense of checking, Habu Masahiro indicated that nothing was amiss.

Kyoku Okita remained unusually vigilant throughout, constantly observing his surroundings to prevent any assassination attempt on Masahiro Hanyu.

Back in the van, Okita Kyōkyū adjusted the seat back to a comfortable position. "Mr. Yūyu, please make yourself at home. I'll call you when Mrs. Nagiharu returns."

Masahiro Hanyu bowed slightly. "Thank you for your hard work!"

He reclined slightly in his chair. "Okita-kun, do you believe in the Four Pillars of Destiny?"

Kyoku Okita, sitting in the driver's seat, said, "I'm not entirely convinced, Mr. Hanyu, so why did you bring this up?"

Masahiro Hanyu smiled. "Just asking casually. I'm thinking, if someone could figure out the identity of the mastermind, wouldn't it save us from taking such a risk? Okita-kun, have you heard of Okubo's mother?"

Okita Kyōkyu frowned. "Kamihiro Masato? Don't believe her, she's a fraud."

Masahiro Hanyu sat up. "Okita-kun, why do you say that?"

Okita Kyōkyu looked around, then lowered his voice, "Because Mr. Hirano had Masato Kami do a Four Pillars of Destiny reading, and this mother of Okubo predicted that Mr. Hirano and Chairman Okita... have a common wife."