As the Akasaka Unit and Aoki Unit restarted their investigation, Shiraishi naturally was not sitting around waiting for reports. Every department was busy as well.
Reporters had caught wind of it and swarmed over. The entrance to Beika Police Station was extremely lively now, with Section Chief Maruo of the Police Affairs Division using interview procedures to hold them back. Shiraishi had no intention of accepting interviews yet.
Within the Metropolitan Police Department, the Police Affairs Department and the General Affairs Department were separate. The former included the Intelligence Division, Document Section, Accounting Division, Facilities Division... broadly speaking, it handled finances and records. The latter handled personnel, public opinion, publicity... including arranging interviews.
At police stations, there was no dedicated General Affairs Division counterpart. The Police Affairs Division handled all of that.
Shirai Jo's "improper search" was already a certainty. But there was a vast difference between an improper search caused by incorrect procedures and a wrongful conviction where both the conclusion and the procedures were wrong...
Most importantly, Shiraishi did not want this to affect the progress of the case!
With public criticism running so high, Shiraishi needed to deal with pressure from all sides and buy time for the investigation!
Not long after Akasaka and Aoki left, a call came from the Prosecutor's Office...
"Chief Shiraishi, correct? This should be our first call, but I have long heard of your great reputation... I am Second Vice-Minister Karimago of the Tokyo Prosecutor's Office, Karimago Go!" Karimago Go said in a rather sarcastic tone.
Shiraishi was not surprised by his attitude.
After all, Shiraishi had directly overturned the Minister of Justice's table before. A senior prosecutor like Karimago was unlikely to view that favorably.
By comparison...
Ganto Kaiji was the abnormal one!
That was why Shiraishi felt that bastard's ambitions were anything but ordinary.
"You flatter me, Vice-Minister Karimago." Shiraishi pretended not to catch the implication.
The Tokyo Prosecutor's Office had one Prosecutor General and three Vice-Ministers. The Second Vice-Minister was specifically responsible for criminal procedure, making him the Prosecutor's Office official who dealt most frequently with the Metropolitan Police Department!
In terms of rank, the Second Vice-Minister of the Prosecutor's Office was equivalent to the Deputy Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Department—the Deputy Superintendent General in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department. Normally, the Metropolitan Police Department had two Deputy Directors, but one position was currently vacant. The former Deputy Director who had concurrently served as Head of the Criminal Investigation Department had just been removed. Odagiri was still too junior to become Deputy Director, so he could only be considered a reserve candidate, waiting for his seniority to rise before it happened naturally.
Although prosecutors and police did not have a superior-subordinate relationship, prosecutors could at any time assign police to assist with investigations or conduct supplementary investigations. Police investigations also had to be submitted to prosecutors for handling. Prosecutors held a certain degree of command authority in cases, and they alone decided whether to indict. Thus, the Prosecutor's Office had always looked down on the Metropolitan Police Department somewhat.
Especially the Second Vice-Minister, dealing with the chief of some small local police station...
Karimago Go's current attitude already counted as being wary of Shiraishi Kuro, that ruthless man!
If Ebihara had been the one answering the call, Karimago Go would probably have started cursing outright...
"This retrial must be putting Chief Shiraishi under considerable pressure, no? You may have only recently taken office, but the public will not care about that," Karimago Go said, feigning concern.
Indeed, although the name "Shiraishi Kuro" had been hugely famous a month ago, ordinary people had long since forgotten who he was.
"Yes, but it is what we deserve... I am confident that I can lead Beika Police Station through this scandal and regain the public's trust." Rather than follow Karimago's lead, Shiraishi sounded somewhat high-minded.
"Heh heh, it is good that Chief Shiraishi has such resolve... The prosecution's 99.9% conviction rate in criminal cases is also the result of close cooperation between both our sides. Let us continue working together to uphold judicial justice in the Eastern Island Nation! We will spare no effort over the minor flaw in this case, and Beika Police Station's cooperation will naturally be indispensable..." Karimago Go hinted.
"That's right. Judicial justice requires us to uphold it together... I hope that the next time the prosecution discovers omissions in an investigation report, you can provide timely feedback!" Shiraishi said bluntly.
Karimago Go: ???
Did you hear yourself?
Your station's Criminal Affairs Division wrote the investigation report like that, and you are blaming the prosecution?
The prosecution had always been the ones holding up the police over investigation reports. This was the first time he had heard someone accuse them of failing to review one properly... Had Shiraishi considered who would be begging whom in the future?
Was he trying to turn the world upside down here?
Karimago Go had a mouthful of complaints and did not even know where to begin!
"Our station has already organized a reinvestigation of this case. The officers previously suspected of improper investigation have been ordered to suspend duty. I will keep the prosecution informed of the results... As for our station's scandal, Vice-Minister Karimago need not concern himself. I will take responsibility!" Shiraishi said directly.
Karimago Go: ...
For most Tokyo police chiefs, Karimago Go was more difficult to deal with than Ganto Kaiji. But for Shiraishi...
Since he had taken the initiative to assume leadership responsibility in this matter, it was only natural for the Area Chief Superintendent to hold him accountable. Shiraishi would be prepared for that.
But what was some Second Vice-Minister of the Prosecutor's Office...? They were not even from the same department!
From Shiraishi's perspective... the prosecution and Shirai each bore half the blame. Shirai's investigation report had problems, but had the prosecution not approved it too? Why should he be polite with them?
Karimago Go was instead choked up by Shiraishi's forcefulness.
Originally, he had wanted to sound Shiraishi out and have him continue to establish the defendant's guilt, so as not to tarnish the prosecution's conviction rate!
That should have served both sides' interests...
After all, did someone of his stature look good bowing and apologizing?
If the chief had still been Ebihara rather than Shiraishi, this would not have been a matter of sounding him out. Karimago Go would already have been pointing at his nose and giving orders.
But Karimago Go remained wary of Shiraishi Kuro, who had just overturned the Minister of Justice's table!
Especially now...
Even the Commissioner General, Karimago Go believed, would not dare speak to him like this.
Yet Shiraishi Kuro had directly admitted to the scandal, leaving Karimago Go with no real way to handle him.
If Ebihara had acted this tough, Karimago Go would have gone to speak with the Commissioner General today and had that scandal-ridden chief sidelined, perhaps even investigated!
However...
As a member of the Professional Group and the "hero" who had just overturned the Minister of Justice's table, Shiraishi Kuro had already been sent down to a local police station. That meant the flexibility of the rules had already hit rock bottom. Within the unspoken rules, there was no way to punish him further. Otherwise, not only would reporters be even more delighted to report that a "hero of the police force was suspected of suffering retaliation," but more importantly, it would break through the bottom line of political struggle, which would benefit no one.
Karimago Go cursed inwardly as well, thinking that Shiraishi Kuro never should have been placed in a local police station. He should have been put in some obscure department, completely cut off from power and from any concrete affairs!
But it was already too late...
At this point, as long as no solid, serious leverage was found against Shiraishi Kuro, he was an "invincible man"!
Before you continue