Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

On the phone, Hashimoto Reia asked if he wanted to stay at her house again tonight.

She could prepare sake and sashimi, and he could continue to get to know her better; this woman was clearly somewhat infatuated with his body.

Masahiro Hanyu refused without hesitation. He worried that if he became obsessed with a woman, he would lose his vigilance and both of them would be in danger. After all, the investigators from the previous two cases had disappeared without a trace.

He reminded Hashimoto Reia to be careful and suggested that she stay at the homes of other female motorcycle riders, as it would be safer for the two of them to live separately.

On his first night back in his new home, Masahiro Hanyu fell asleep, but remained alert throughout.

He closed the doors and windows tightly and placed bowls of water under the doors and in front of the windows so that if someone came in, it would make a sound.

Then, on the bed, they arranged pillows and a thin blanket to resemble someone sleeping.

He rested in the closet, with a powerful flashlight and tactical pen at hand, ready to retaliate at any moment should anything happen.

When Masahiro Hanyu met with Mrs. Haru Nagi and Masato Kamishiro, he adopted a restrained yet flamboyant attitude, subtly revealing information and hitting their sore spots.

Besides the need for investigation, he did this for another reason: to alert the enemy and lure them out.

In the first two cases, the investigators disappeared suddenly after they had been commissioned and seemed to be making some progress.

As the third investigator, Masahiro Hanyu wanted to speed up the process and make everything happen when he was ready.

However, the night passed peacefully without any unexpected events.

In the morning, he called Hashimoto Rei again, as they had agreed, to make sure they were both safe and sound.

Yuzuru Masahiro instructed Hashimoto that it would be best to get help from the sisters around Kamihisa Masato to avoid arousing her suspicion.

At 10:00 AM, following the address provided by Yui Satsuki, Masahiro Hanyu arrived at the 7th floor of the Showa Building, located in Kyobashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.

Nagasawa Construction's headquarters are located in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and its Tokyo office is also located there.

As Masahiro Hanyu stepped out of the elevator, the neat, boldface lettering on the wall directly in front of him read: Aichi Prefecture Nagasawa Construction Co., Ltd. Tokyo Office.

Below, a line of small print states that the administrative department's main business includes liaison for infrastructure projects in Tokyo and surrounding areas, engineering planning, and business negotiations with clients.

Walking straight down the corridor for a dozen steps, he saw the entrance to the administrative department's offices, with the open-plan reception area clearly visible.

Behind the brown solid wood reception desk sat a young female employee dressed in a light gray suit.

Upon seeing Masahiro Hanyu approach, the female employee immediately put down her pen, stood up, and bowed slightly in greeting.

"Mr. Yamamoto, you've arrived!" Her smile was gentle, and her voice was soft and polite.

The receptionist seemed quite familiar with him, which surprised Masahiro Yuzuru. Before he could speak, the female employee continued:

"The minister is waiting for you, please follow me!"

The female employee walked out from behind the reception desk, turned to the side to make a guiding gesture, and then led the way with light steps.

Masahiro Hanyu was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't ask any further questions. In such an unknown situation, letting things take their natural course was the best solution.

After all, his presence here was arranged by President Satsuki.

As he passed through the office area, Masahiro Hanyu saw photos of the staff of the Business Department of the Administrative Department on the wall.

The sales department handles external business, and we've posted staff photos here to make it easier for customers to contact us.

Masahiro Hanyu saw his photo, with the caption: Ryuji Yamamoto, Assistant to the Chief of Staff.

Upon reaching the innermost part of the office area, in front of a wooden door engraved with the words "Minister's Office," the female employee stopped and gently knocked on the door.

"Minister, Mr. Yamamoto has arrived."

A response came from inside the house: "Please come in."

Yuzuru Masahiro was taken aback; it was Satsuki Yui's voice.

Without much thought, the receptionist pushed open the door, and he saw Yui Satsuki sitting behind the desk.

As previously arranged, both of them had disguised identities to investigate Tanaka Keiko's suicide case.

Yui Satsuki, using the alias Mio Nagasawa, is the daughter of the chairman of the Nagasawa Construction Group and the head of general affairs at the Tokyo office.

Masahiro Hanyu, using the alias Ryuji Yamamoto, is a sales assistant in the Nagasawa Architectural Office. His daily tasks include liaising with clients, organizing project documents, and traveling to secure business opportunities. His working hours are relatively flexible.

But now Yui Satsuki has become the head of the administrative department. Won't Nagasawa Construction Group find out that she's impersonating someone else?

Masahiro Hanyu entered the room and closed the door tightly.

Yui Satsuki gestured to the chair opposite the desk. "Mr. Yamamoto, please have a seat!"

After sitting down, Masahiro Yuzuru lowered his voice and said, "President, what's going on? The receptionist knows me so well, so why are you impersonating the manager here?"

Satsuki Yui blinked her peach blossom eyes. "We need to get to know each other again. I am Nagasawa Mio, the new head of Nagasawa Construction's Tokyo office."

"My father is the chairman of the Nagasawa Construction Group in Aichi Prefecture, and I am his youngest daughter."

Yuzuru Masahiro scanned the room with his eyes. Could there be listening devices in the room, so President Satsuki was putting on an act?

Yui Satsuki tapped her fingers lightly on the table. "Hanyu-kun, it's just you and me in this room. No one is eavesdropping."

"What I just said is true. I changed my name after I joined the Metropolitan Police Department, and I took my mother's surname."

"After all, her identity as the daughter of the Nagasawa Construction Group is quite eye-catching, and she needs to use another identity to better carry out the investigation."

Yuzuru Masahiro suddenly realized why Satsuki Yui owned so many houses; it turned out she really was the daughter of the chairman of a construction group.

"So, is your current role really that of the Minister of the Architectural Affairs Department?"

Yui Satsuki nodded. "Yes, we both need our current identities until we find out about the Fusheng Society."

"Hanyu-kun, the reason why Fusei-kai did not suspect your identity as Yamamoto Ryuji is because my identity is real."

"Inoue Kazuhiko was determined to use your connections to bring me into the Fusheng Association, so he didn't investigate your identity too thoroughly."

"After you used the sacred tea to get Naoko Yonemura to reveal the truth about Keiko Tanaka's death, Kazuhiko Inoue seems to have some doubts and is further investigating my true background."

"To avoid any mishaps, the Metropolitan Police Department asked me to speak with my father, and all the necessary staff in the administrative department were replaced with people from the investigation division."

Masahiro Hanyu then realized, "The receptionist was from the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division. She knew my personal information beforehand, so she recognized me as soon as I walked in."

Yui Satsuki nodded slightly. "Yes, the administrative department has a total of 11 staff members. In addition to you and me, there are 6 people from the investigation department."

"Such a big fuss!" Masahiro Yuzuru was somewhat surprised.

Yui Satsuki pushed a file folder in front of Masahiro Hanyu. "This contains Ryuji Yamamoto's identity information. Please remember it well, Hanyu-kun, and make sure there are no mistakes."

Masahiro Hanyu opened the file bag, which contained his driver's license, resident certificate, membership card from the construction department, resume, and related identity information.

"Okay, please rest assured, President, I won't forget."

"Hanyu-kun, there's something I have to say because of the current situation!" Yui Satsuki's tone turned serious.

"Your current identity is Yamamoto Ryuji, and it's not suitable for you to investigate other cases at the moment. But what do you plan to do with Hirano Shōmei's request?"