Tokyo, the shady intelligence of private detectives

This woman was in her thirties, with a robust and muscular build. She was estimated to be around 1.9 meters tall, which is quite rare in Tokyo.

The woman spoke politely, "Hello, are you Mr. Yuzuru? I'm Abu Mizure. It's an honor to meet you."

Masahiro Hanyu bowed slightly. "Mrs. Abu, it is my honor to meet you."

Abu Suiren's appearance was ordinary and could not be compared with Lady Nagiharu.

She looked around warily. "Mr. Yuzuru, you didn't inform Hirano Shōmei, Mrs. Nagiharu, or your female partner riding the Yamaha, about our meeting, did you?"

Masahiro Yuzuru shook his head. "No, I did it according to Mrs. Abu's request."

Abu Suiren smiled and said, "Very good, Mr. Yuzuru, please get in the car."

If you want to invite him to get in the car to talk, Abu Shuilian only needs to open the car window and beckon him over.

However, she greeted him before getting out of the car and then invited him to get in. It's unclear whether this was due to her attention to polite details or for some other reason.

After getting into the car, Masahiro Yuzuru sat in the back seat and gently inhaled the faint, sweet scent of white peach. It was gentle and not cloying, but it was the same fragrance that Mrs. Nagiharu used in her car.

Abu Suiren stepped on the gas and started the car. "Mr. Yuzuru, let's go somewhere quiet."

Then she stopped talking and focused on driving, glancing at the rearview mirror every now and then, as if worried that someone was following her.

After crossing the Chaochao Bridge, the car arrived at Qinghai Wharf, a newly reclaimed area with sparse population. Even during the day, few people come here.

The surface of Tokyo Bay is grayish-blue, and the breakwater is long and desolate. With the car window down, the sea breeze, carrying a salty smell, hits you in the face.

The car was parked in an open space, with no shops or pedestrians around, only the sound of the wind, the waves, and the occasional horn of a boat in the distance.

Did Abu Mizure already know that Lady Nagi Haru was having an affair with her husband, Chairman Okita? This was the question that Masahiro Hanyu wanted to find out.

However, he did not try to probe her with words, but remained silent. After all, it was Mrs. Abu who had asked him to meet, and she must have something to say.

Abu Suiren turned around and said, "Mr. Yuzuru, let's get out of the car and talk."

The two got out of the car and strolled along the embankment. Abu Shuilian looked back and said, "I'm not sure if there are any listening devices in the car."

So that's why she didn't speak in the car, but she hadn't reminded him before getting in.

"Mr. Yuzuru must be wondering why I drove all the way here before speaking to you."

Although she wasn't wearing high heels, she was still taller than Masahiro Hanyu.

"I chose to come here because it's open and spacious. On the street, I can make sure I'm not being followed. Now, I can also make sure we're not being monitored when we talk."

"Based on my observations, no stalkers have been found, nor has there been any unusual spying."

"Mr. Yuzuru may not have been lying to me just now; you really didn't inform anyone else about our meeting."

Masahiro Yuzuru nodded slightly. "Of course, the prerequisite for effective communication between two people is to treat each other with sincerity."

"Mrs. Abu, there must be a reason for your vigilance, right?"

Abu Suiren gazed at the sea. "Mr. Yuzuru knows that the detectives who investigated Nagi Haru's assassination twice before have both disappeared. I think the disappearance of the last detective who investigated this case might be related to me."

About 1000 meters away from the two, there was a waiting hall under construction. A light flashed briefly on the rooftop and then disappeared.

At such a distance, the tiny flash of light was almost impossible to detect without careful attention, and Abu Shuilian did not notice it.

Masahiro Yuzuru glanced at her, but remained silent, continuing to listen quietly to Mrs. Abu's speech.

"The detective called me and said he had something important to tell me, a secret about Mrs. Nagiharu. We agreed to meet at a coffee shop."

"I went to the coffee shop at the agreed time, but the detective never showed up. I later learned that the detective had disappeared and has not been found to this day."

"That's why I asked Mr. Yuzuru not to tell anyone about our meeting."

Yuzuru Hanyu turned his head toward the sea, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the waiting hall, whose light flickered again.

He was now certain that someone was hiding there, observing the two of them with a high-powered telescope.

The occasional flicker is the reflection of sunlight on the lens; because the two people are walking and moving, the flickering light spot can be observed at a certain angle.

Abu Mizuki suddenly lowered her voice, "Mr. Yuzuru, do you know any secrets about Mrs. Nagiharu? You can tell me now."

The secret about Lady Nagiharu that would concern Abu Mizuren is that she is the president's lover.

Was the previous detective missing because he wanted to tell Mrs. Abu this secret?

Whether there is a necessary connection between them is something Masahiro Hanyu cannot determine at the moment.

Of the three pieces of information provided by the system, only the Honda NSX driven by Mrs. Abu is related to the clues provided.

Masahiro Yuzuru shook his head. "No, I don't know what secrets Mrs. Nagiharu has that she would tell Mrs. Abu in private."

"Which direction do you think the secret concerns?"

Of course, he couldn't talk about Lady Nagiharu's affair; that was a matter of professional ethics.

He also wanted to test Mrs. Abu to see if she already suspected that Mrs. Nagiharu and her husband had an ambiguous relationship.

Abu Suiren stared at Yuzuru Masahiro, trying to determine from his expression and eyes whether he was telling the truth.

The result was, of course, futile. After all, Masahiro Hanyu knew very well how to control his subtle expressions and movements so that the other party would not see his true thoughts.

"I don't know, I have absolutely no clue, otherwise I wouldn't have asked Mr. Yuzuru about this in private."

"Before meeting you, I was very nervous, worried that something might have happened to you too, but thankfully nothing did."

Masahiro Hanyu said solemnly, "Perhaps it's because I'm unaware of a certain secret that I was able to meet Mrs. Abu."

Abu Shuilian looked somewhat disappointed. "Perhaps so. I'd rather not know the secret than have something happen to Mr. Yuzuru."

She was just being polite when she said that.

"I don't know if someone was spying on me, which led to that detective's accident. I'm being extra careful right now, and Chairman Okita doesn't know what I'm doing."

"I would like to make a promise with Mr. Yuzuru: if you learn of any secret of Mrs. Nagiharu that involves me, please do your best to inform me as soon as possible."

"I can give you a reward of 1000 million yen, payable in cash or by bank transfer."

With such a high fee offered, Masahiro Hanyu was somewhat tempted, but only tempted. After all, he was a professional detective, and Hirano Yoshiaki's commission was even higher.

Given such a high reward, he had to appear shocked. "Yes, Mrs. Abu, if I learn any relevant secrets, I will certainly inform you."

"Don't be too greedy," Masahiro Hanyu reminded himself, "it's impossible to earn all the money."

After the conversation ended, Abu Mizure drove Masahiro Hanyu back to the Showa Building. The two barely spoke in the car.

After he got out of the car, Mrs. Abu rolled down the window and said, "If Mr. Yuzuru encounters any trouble, I will help him if I hear about it."

Masahiro Yuzuru bowed in thanks and watched Mrs. Abu drive away. Then he turned and walked toward the Showa Building, but before he could enter, his pager went off.

Masahiro Hanyu returned the call, and Mrs. Nagiharu's gentle voice came through the phone: "Mr. Hanyu, I want to see you!"