After being elected as the governor of Tokyo, he will debut as a band!

He estimated that Ichika Nijika's face must be completely red right now.

This is probably not due to shyness about romantic feelings, but more to the shame a young girl feels after passionately expressing her emotions.

Just like other minors expressing their feelings to their parents, this sounds simple, but in reality, many children would probably find it harder to open their mouths than to confess to their crush, and once they do, they would run away even faster than if they had failed in their confession.

Let's turn our backs to Hongxia for now and protect the girl's fragile sense of shame!

Aoyama felt that he must be the kind of elder who was particularly understanding.

After saying those eight words, Hongxia was somewhat flustered, but seeing that Qingshan hadn't turned around, she slowly regained her courage. So she continued.

"Well, Brother Qingshan, I've actually figured it out... If you're still the same as before, then I have nothing to be afraid of... But if you're different from before, and instead become like those big shots who only appear on TV and know how to put on airs..."

At this point, she paused slightly, then shook her head vigorously. "No, if you, Brother Qingshan, had become that kind of person, you wouldn't have joined Sickhack, wouldn't have given such a breathtaking performance for your fans on stage, and wouldn't have poured your heart and soul into writing those sincere and moving songs..."

“Now that the answer is clear, what do I have to be afraid of? So,” she said with a hint of a smile, “Brother Qingshan, I’m so glad to see you again.”

……

Afterwards, Aoyama had a meal at the Ijichi family's house, which was prepared by Nijika herself. Ijichi Seika was basically useless when it came to cooking, and the food she made was no different from culinary disasters. It was because Nijika had eaten that kind of food for two months that she took responsibility for her health and growth, and thus rebelled and took over the cooking power of the Ijichi family from her sister.

After the meal, he chatted with the Ijichi sisters about the events of the past ten years until he received an email on his phone from Suzumiya Takumi, who had brought him there. Only then did he leave somewhat reluctantly.

He had originally planned to stay at Ichichi's house today... Sigh! Work got in the way!

"Uncle Jiang? Is something urgent?"

Aoyama sat down in the old Ford that Suzumiya Takumi often drove and asked.

Uncle Jiang knew what he was going up there for, meaning that unless something major happened, he wouldn't be disturbed.

"Young Master, Detective Yagami Takayuki just called me, saying that the controller of the Ijincho in Yokohama City has contacted him and hopes to get your help..."

"Ijincho? Are you referring to those Koreans who rescued Yagami from the Koreans before?"

Aoyama quickly remembered who these people were.

"They want my help? What gives them the confidence that I would agree to help them? Just because they saved Yagami Takashi's life?"

Aoyama's voice was somewhat cold, "But I think they should understand that saving Yagami Takayuki is also saving themselves. If Yagami dies at the hands of the Koreans, these so-called Koreans who are holed up in the Otherworld, whose nationality and ethnicity are unclear, will also be unable to escape their fate."

The town of Yijin is basically a no-man's-land, its gray area jointly managed by Chinese gangster groups, the Japanese underworld "Star Dragon Society" and the Korean secret organization "Spider Nest". But since it is a no-man's-land, it is interesting to wonder whether the Koreans there are real Koreans or North Koreans pretending to be Koreans.

When the situation is relaxed, of course no one cares about this, but once the North Koreans cause trouble and arouse the fear of the public and the upper echelons, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government can completely treat it as a hotspot for North Koreans and launch a crackdown.

“Young Master, according to what Mr. Yagami Takayuki told me during the call, besides the time he was rescued, you also received their help... that was the time you risked your life to break into the Changgu Logistics warehouse alone.”

"Long grain flow..."

Aoyama recalled for a while, and slowly remembered that when he was in the Changgu Logistics warehouse, he broke into the office of the criminal gang leader, Hiroto Kawashima, in order to find the password to open the door of the counterfeit workshop. At that time, a drone outside the window shot a vase containing the password paper with a crossbow bolt.

That drone was also sent by the Ijincho, but how did they know that the person who broke into the Nagagu Logistics warehouse was me? I was clearly wearing a mask at the time.

Oh, by the way, Toyokawa Kiyoko mentioned that the entire surveillance system at the Changgu Logistics warehouse was set up by "Koreans from Ijincho." They probably installed hidden doors in the system, allowing them to monitor Changgu Logistics' every move from a third-party perspective. They may have discovered some weaknesses in their operations through the video surveillance.

For example, the deputy chief prosecutor of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office personally led the police to rescue people, and when they saw a strange man wearing a mask at the scene of the gunfight, they didn't even ask the police to remove his mask.

However, these are at most some doubts, not solid evidence, and it's pointless for them to try to blackmail them with this surveillance footage.

These people cannot be considered my enemies.

Having made this judgment, Aoyama wanted to first find out what the controllers of the Ijincho really wanted.

“I see. I owe them a debt of gratitude for that matter… Uncle Takumi, did Yagami Takayuki tell you that the people in charge of the Otherworld need my help with anything?”

"The governor of Kanagawa Prefecture wants to demolish Ijincho. The people in charge of Ijincho hope you can stop this plan from being implemented."

"That's how Suzumiya Takumi answered."

"...Hmph, they're asking for far too much. The most they've helped is take down Shimakaze Financial for me and the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office. They want to use Shimakaze..."

Trading finance for the entire Ijincho? That's quite a shrewd deal.

A cold smile crept across Qingshan Xiangcong's lips.

……

Thanks to @{"reader_id":"821160","reader_name":"Wireless Dawn"} for the blade.

Isogachi Music Awards: 135 The Achilles' heel of the Shigure Party boss

“Young Master, besides that matter, the controllers of the Otherworld Town also mentioned someone else. They said that as long as you are willing to help, that person will definitely bring you even greater benefits.”

When Suzumiya Takumi said this, his eyes flickered slightly.

Having spent over twenty years with Suzumiya Takumi, Aoyama immediately realized that the person mentioned by the controller of the Otherworld was the real sex scene.

Ryoumiya Takumi's loyalty to Aoyama Yuki is absolute, and this loyalty extends to Aoyama Muto as well, which means that it is almost impossible for him to act as an advocate for other forces.

If something is generally unfavorable to Aoyama, then Suzumiya Takumi will never repeatedly mention the other party's bargaining chips in front of Aoyama.

And if he mentions it repeatedly, it means that in his eyes, the price Qingshan would have to pay to agree to this is far less than the benefits he could gain.

Thinking of this, Aoyama Xiang's body relaxed and a smile appeared on his face. "Uncle Takumi, stop being so mysterious. Just tell me who that person is."

Ryoumiya Takumi also smiled, "Young Master, you are actually very familiar with that person. He is the whip of the Shigure Party, Lord Ogikubo Toyo."

"Oh? Ogikubo-sensei, you have connections with the Ijincho..." Aoyama was quite surprised by this.

Although he was considered the leader of a relatively loose faction within the Shigure Party, he had a very close relationship with Yutaka Ogikubo, whose political resources were, to some extent, open to him... and he had never heard anything from Ogikubo about anything related to the Ijincho district of Yokohama.

There are essentially three possibilities—

One possibility is that Ogikubo was completely unaware of this arrangement, and that his subordinates were using Ogikubo Yutaka's name to establish a partnership with the Ijincho district. After all, given Ogikubo Yutaka's current position within the Shigure Party, even his subordinates could potentially wield the power to influence the fate of an entire town.

The second possibility is that, in Ogikubo's view, his cooperation with Ijincho was insignificant and insufficient to affect the overall situation of the Shigure Party or the internal party situation he and Aoyama Muko faced, so there was no need to inform Aoyama Muko.

Of course, there is a third possibility: that Ogikubo Yutaka's cooperation with Ijincho is completely clandestine. If the specific details of the cooperation were to be known by other forces—even by an ally like Aoyama Muto—it would put him in a passive position.

If it's one of the first two scenarios, it means that Ijincho doesn't hold a high position in Ogikubo's heart, and even if he helps them, he won't be able to get any resources from Ogikubo.

If it's the third scenario, then the Ishincho is essentially betraying Ogikubo to him, and he can indeed use this as leverage to get more things from Ogikubo... But this betrayal also means that the Ishincho faction is extremely unreliable politically. If he really lends them a helping hand, they might betray him if they encounter new difficulties in the future, putting him in a passive position.

Aoyama was somewhat conflicted...

We still don't have enough information to make a hasty decision.

"Young Master? Are you alright? If you still have any doubts about this matter, then please refuse their request..."

Ryoumiya Takumi's voice interrupted Aoyama Munechika's thoughts, and a look of self-reproach appeared on his weathered old face.

He felt that if Aoyama could help the Ijincho with this favor, it would benefit Aoyama's career, but judging from Aoyama's reaction—

Clearly, Aoyama noticed some risks he hadn't considered.

I've caused trouble for the young master.

he thought.

"Uncle Takumi, don't worry... There's no need to give an answer right away. Let me talk to Professor Ogikubo first..."

Aoyama waved his hand, telling Ryougu Takumi not to overthink it. In the short term, the potential for profit was indeed greater. Any risks would come later. Ryougu Takumi's judgment wasn't wrong; he was just overthinking things.

"By the way, did the people from Ijincho bring Mr. Yagami any tokens or codes? If they didn't, I'll just go and ask Professor Ogikubo about Ijincho. Professor Ogikubo will probably think I'm trying to trick him."

"Yes, Mr. Takayuki Yagami should be on his way to your estate in Toshima Ward right now. He will personally hand over the token to you."

"That's how Suzumiya Takumi answered."

……

After Aoyama received the token of the Otherworld from Yagami Takayuki, he immediately understood that the situation in the Otherworld was exactly the third scenario he had previously speculated about...

This token isn't some handicraft, seal, or jewelry; it's a piece of "criminal evidence" that, if shown to the police, will immediately lead to your arrest.

He immediately called Takuya Utsunomiya and asked him to arrange a meeting with Yutaka Ogikubo's secretary.

Recently, Yutaka Ogikubo seems to be feeling unwell and has been staying at a high-end sanatorium in Shinagawa Ward. He doesn't have many things to deal with each day, so Takuya Utsunomiya received a reply quickly.

The next morning, Aoyama met Ogikubo Yutaka, who was lying in bed, in the penthouse suite of the sanatorium.

He first inquired about Ogikubo's condition, and then, after Utsunomiya Takuya followed his suggestion and took Ogikubo's secretary outside, he took out the token from Ijincho and handed it to Ogikubo.

"Ms. Ogikubo, please take a look at this... Do you recognize it?"

This so-called token was actually a counterfeit banknote—a low-quality 10,000 yuan banknote that was only printed on one side and the other side was completely blank.

"...Where did you get this?"

Yutaka Ogikubo stared at the thing for a while, then closed his eyes.

“Yesterday, someone delivered it to me through one of my retainers.”

It's fair to say that Takayuki Yagami is a retainer of Aoyama Mukai. Although he has his own detective agency and is also affiliated with a law firm, he also works for Aoyama Mukai in exchange for Aoyama Mukai's help in certain matters.

"So, they really did come to you for help."

"Who does the teacher mean by 'they'?"

"...just a bunch of unlucky bastards who are about to become homeless."

"From what you're saying, teacher, you've known about their situation for a long time, but you don't intend to help... are you just going to watch them become homeless dogs?"

The old fox and the young fox neither spoke openly, but instead kept their conversation in cryptic terms, afraid of giving each other something to gossip about.

"I can't interfere in this matter... but if you do it, there shouldn't be any problems."

"Are you sure there won't be any problems? The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office just cracked a major counterfeit currency case a few months ago, and the sensitive period hasn't passed yet. If this stuff," Aoyama waved the counterfeit bills in his hand, making a "clattering" sound, "really came from 'there,' if I speak up for them again, I'm afraid I'll get myself into trouble."

Gogomachi Music Awards: 136 The End of the Strange Town

"Hehe, Aoyama, I think you've misunderstood..." Ogikubo Yutaka still didn't open his eyes, only letting out a laugh from beneath his withered lips.

The voice said, "The only help the people who gave you this single-sided bill need is to stop the Kanagawa Prefectural Government from demolishing their homes. They can give up everything else."

"Including everything related to this single-sided banknote?"

Qingshan asked.

"That's right, including everything related to this single-sided banknote!"

Yutaka Ogikubo's voice sounded somewhat weak, but his tone was firm.

Based on his years of political intuition, Aoyama felt that this statement was not a lie.

"Then why would they go to such lengths?" Aoyama asked a new question. "The Kanagawa Prefectural Government's demolition plan is ostensibly for improving land use and spatial layout, developing new industries, and improving people's livelihoods. But in reality, it's aimed at their counterfeit currency business. Since they were already prepared to give up this source of revenue, handing over the goods should dissuade the Kanagawa Prefectural Government from carrying out the demolition in the short term, and their homes would be preserved."

The implementation of urban demolition plans can be fast or slow. It can be completed in a few months if it's fast, but it can easily drag on for three to five years if it's slow. Whether the plan is retained or not will be up to the new governor once he takes office.

Upon hearing Aoyama's question, Ogikubo Yutaka pondered for a moment before slowly answering:

"Because if I hand over everything related to counterfeit money directly, it will implicate me... They won't do that. Even if it comes to the point where my home is demolished, they won't let me be harmed in this matter."

"...Ms. Ogikubo, I didn't understand what you meant..."

Qingshan is just pretending to be confused here.

Ogikubo Yutaka's meaning is very clear: he was also involved in the counterfeiting of currency in Ijincho.

But he could admit that Aoyama didn't want to engage.

If the whip of the Shigure Party were to collude with underground forces and participate in the crime of counterfeiting currency, which seriously damages the national economy, once this is exposed, not only will Ogikubo Yutaka's reputation plummet instantly, but the Shigure Party's popular support will also be severely damaged, and it may even affect his prestige as the Governor of Tokyo.

Unless he makes a lightning-fast break away from the Shigure Party and joins the Yukikaze Party, or forms his own party, it will be difficult for him to be re-elected as the Governor of Tokyo... It is estimated that after this term ends, he will become a minister in a back-row of the cabinet, and only after two years when he has regained his strength will he have the energy to reconsider running for the Governor of Tokyo.

"There's no need to play dumb in front of me, Aoyama. I know you understand everything."

But Yutaka Ogikubo doesn't seem worried about this at all. "But as I said, those people will sacrifice themselves to protect my reputation."

Aoyama couldn't understand why he had so much confidence in the Strange Town.

Alliances formed among criminals are unreliable... They will not hesitate to betray others for their own benefit.

Even the reason why Aoyama is sitting here now is because the controller of the Ijincho "betrayed" Ogikubo Yutaka to him.

"They would hand this single-sided banknote to you because they know about the alliance between us... By giving you this leverage, you won't easily let it go and ruin my reputation."

“They’re quite clever…” Aoyama was a little annoyed. Ogikubo Yutaka’s words made him feel like he was being manipulated. “But even a smart person should understand that there is no such thing as an unbreakable alliance in this world.”

“Of course, of course,” Ogikubo Yutaka raised his right hand and pressed it down slightly, “...As you can see, I’m getting old and my health isn’t good...My juniors, and those who followed me in the past, will all have to rely on you in the future.”

This statement carries a hint of entrusting one's future to another; it seems Ogikubo intends to hand over a large portion of his political resources to Aoyama.

Such a price was enough to persuade Aoyama to do his bidding for him in the matter of the Otherworld.