Mediation

Chief Shiraishi called in the heads of every department that morning and gave them all a dressing-down. But... soon afterward, Shiraishi got one himself!

Almost immediately after Shiraishi finished assigning the work, he received a call from "11th Regional Headquarters Area Chief Superintendent, Ganto Kaiji."

Between Tokyo's more than one hundred police stations and the Metropolitan Police Department stood the level of Area Headquarters. Tokyo had eleven Area Headquarters in total, each overseeing several police stations. Beika Police Station belonged to the 11th Regional Headquarters.

Of the eleven Area Chief Superintendents, only those of the 1st, 4th, 8th, and 11th regions held the rank of Superintendent General. The rest were Chief Superintendents, just like the chiefs of major police stations.

Area Chief Superintendents generally also served as the chiefs of a police station within their region. If an Area Headquarters oversaw several major police stations, its Area Chief Superintendent would be a Superintendent General. The 11th Regional Headquarters oversaw Beika Police Station, Haido Town, and Kamurocho, all major police stations.

The Area Chief Superintendent of the 11th Regional Headquarters, Ganto Kaiji, was the chief of Haido Town and also supervised more than a dozen station chiefs in the surrounding area!

At first, Ganto Kaiji wanted Ebihara to take the call, but Shiraishi accepted it directly.

"Area Chief Superintendent Ganto, I assumed office on September 17 and have already organized a reinvestigation of the case. If there's anything, you can speak to me directly."

"Chief Shiraishi truly takes responsibility. Then I'll speak frankly. The impact of this matter is extremely severe! Because of the former minister's affair, the public is already questioning the fairness of the justice system. From the National Police Agency to the Metropolitan Police Department, everyone is on edge..." Ganto spoke sternly, giving Shiraishi quite a scare.

But after frightening him for a while, Ganto changed his tune. "Of course, I also know that Chief Shiraishi has nothing to do with this matter. It was all Inspector Shirai's doing. Taking advantage of Chief Ebihara's imminent retirement and the transition between old and new leadership, he went ahead and caused this mess on his own. After all, Chief Shiraishi has only just taken office. I understand that..."

Shiraishi could not help frowning on his end of the line. This guy... why did it feel like he was up to no good?

On the surface, Ganto seemed to be looking out for Shiraishi, helping him "shift the blame," but he intended to throw Shirai under the bus?

Indeed, that guy deserved to be pushed out there!

But Ganto wanted Shiraishi to accept his protection, while Ganto himself arranged for Shirai to take the blame...

If Shiraishi truly agreed, this incident would indeed not implicate him. But afterward, not only would his authority within the station decline, he would inevitably have to bow his head before Ganto as well!

"Inspector Shirai was indeed too hasty in this case. I have already severely reprimanded him and ordered him to reflect on his actions... As for the final punishment, I believe it should be decided after the case is closed," Shiraishi said, neither servile nor overbearing.

How Shirai was to be handled was Shiraishi's business as station chief. As for any additional demands Area Chief Superintendent Ganto Kaiji had, he could bring them directly to Shiraishi!

Hearing Shiraishi repeatedly reject his "goodwill," Ganto fell silent for a moment. Then hearty laughter erupted from the receiver. "Hahaha! As expected of our hero of the police force. Chief Shiraishi truly is a fine station chief who protects his subordinates. That puts my mind at ease."

"You flatter me. My negligence has brought trouble to the 11th Regional Headquarters, and I'll need Area Chief Superintendent Ganto to be understanding," Shiraishi replied politely.

"What I can overlook is naturally nothing worth mentioning..." Ganto spoke in the tone of a kindly man, but as expected, his tone abruptly shifted and turned grave. "However, if this drags on for too long, the Metropolitan Police Department may intervene at any time. By then, the situation will no longer be under either of our control. I hope you understand, Chief Shiraishi."

"Rest assured, Area Chief Superintendent Ganto. I will take responsibility!" Shiraishi answered firmly.

Shiraishi was now basically certain that Ganto Kaiji... wanted to use this opportunity to "subdue" him—the kind of subjugation where one broke a man's wings before bringing him under one's command.

It seemed this Ganto Kaiji was quite ambitious...

Otherwise, even an Area Chief Superintendent would not want to get involved in such a situation.

But Shiraishi clearly had no intention of giving him an opportunity to "subdue" him. Moreover, Shiraishi's past actions at the Metropolitan Police Department had left his fierce reputation intact, so Ganto merely gave him a routine warning and did not press too hard.

Even though his goodwill had been rejected, he did not make an issue of it for the moment.

After taking Ganto Kaiji's call, Shiraishi also understood that the situation was not optimistic, so...

Shiraishi hurriedly drafted an "apology statement," preparing himself to be called before the cameras to bow at any moment. In a situation like this, of course the station chief had to apologize. An inspector like Shirai was not even qualified to bow before the cameras.

To finish the draft, Shiraishi only ate bread for lunch.

At one in the afternoon, Shiraishi had just finished seven or eight rolls when Akasaka and Aoki came to report their work plan...

"Chief, our team will split up afterward. One group will visit the crime scene... There were no signs of forced entry or fighting at the scene, so it was undoubtedly committed by an acquaintance. The victim's valuables were not rummaged through either, so this was not robbery turned murder. We'll speak with the neighbors again and see whether we can uncover anything new.

"Meanwhile, Gen and Yamada will further verify the surveillance footage and witness statements from Beika Park. At the time of the crime, there were not many people in that area of the park because there was no shade, but perhaps someone saw something..." Akasaka explained the next steps.

"We're planning to check the kitchen knife, the primary physical evidence... If the fingerprints were left because of a gathering at the victim's home, why were there only his fingerprints besides the victim's, and why were fingerprints found on only that one kitchen knife? We'll also check the surveillance records around the crime scene and... try to find out whether the only order placed at the Beika Park coffee cart during the time of the crime might have been bought by someone else!" Aoki stated his plan as well.

"Mm. You've worked hard." Shiraishi nodded after hearing them out, then added, "I'll be off work by ten at the latest tonight. If there's any progress, make sure to report it."

As Shiraishi spoke, he stood and glanced outside through the blinds. Sure enough, quite a few reporters were still gathered in front of the police station. There was no way he could get off work on time under these circumstances!

But the prescribed time limit for "interrogations" or "questioning" was ten at night. As a station chief who worked in an office, there was no point in staying up with them after ten...

"Yes!"

The two of them answered together.

"One more thing... Don't accept any interviews. Don't speak to reporters. Do not say a single word, and make sure the younger detectives understand that as well." Shiraishi gave the reminder specifically, lest their words be taken out of context.