I Really Was Just Taking Her Home!

"Prank? Miss Sonoko? This..." Kanzaki looked at Sonoko, then suspiciously at his new partner.

Kanzaki had reported to Beika Police Station early that morning and was then assigned to partner with Kuroki—Detectives generally operated in pairs, both for safety and to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

However, this "senior" Kuroki had been extremely unreliable, arriving late and refusing to answer his phone. Thus, Kanzaki's first task at work had been to "find his partner."

When he found Kuroki, he discovered that Kuroki was not only injured and unconscious, but also claiming that "Suzuki Sonoko has been kidnapped"!

So the two disguised themselves and came to Suzuki Sonoko's residence.

When Kuroki saw Sonoko, he froze as well. He hurriedly took out a Teitan High School student ID and asked, "Miss Sonoko, this student ID..."

"Mm?" Sonoko took it, looked it over, and said in confusion, "I did lose a student ID before, but this photo..."

The photo on the student ID clearly belonged to someone else!

Kuroki's expression turned even uglier at that.

"What happened?" Shiraishi asked gravely.

"Chief, this is bad... Someone really was kidnapped. It happened right in front of me... But it seems the kidnappers got the victim's identity wrong!" Kuroki said awkwardly.

Indeed, Shiraishi had also noticed that Kuroki bore a few external injuries, as though he had fought someone not long ago.

So...

Someone had used Sonoko's student ID to forge an identity, and then... had been taken away as "Suzuki Sonoko"!

Ring, ring—

The phone that had arrived with the kidnapping letter began to ring.

As the four members of the Suzuki family looked at one another, Shiraishi directly signaled Ayako with his eyes. "Answer it. If it's the kidnapper, don't reveal that we're here, and don't reveal that they took the wrong person!"

Seeing him ordering her daughter around, Suzuki Tomoko had already crossed her arms and begun tapping her elbow with her fingers, clearly displeased. However, the situation was urgent, so she did not lash out.

Kuroki quickly connected a listening device to the phone.

"Hello, this is the Suzuki residence..."

"Hehe, you received the letter proving young miss Sonoko is safe, didn't you? And who might you be?"

A voice that had clearly been distorted came through the receiver.

Ayako immediately looked at Kuro. Encouraged by his gaze, she forced herself to remain calm and said, "I'm Sonoko's sister! How... how is my sister?"

Mmph—mmph—

The other side only let her hear what sounded like a muffled, barely audible cry from someone whose mouth had been covered...

"Don't hurt my sister! What... what do you want?" Ayako asked cooperatively.

"Prepare three hundred million in cash immediately. I'll contact you again in half an hour. If you call the police... hehe, you should know what will happen to your sister."

After saying that, the caller faintly played another "muffled, indistinct cry for help," then hung up before Ayako could react.

"Send the recording to the Technical Unit for voiceprint analysis... Ayako, as for the three hundred million..." Shiraishi asked somewhat awkwardly.

After all, the person kidnapped was not a member of the Suzuki family!

But for the hostage's safety, it would be best if the Suzuki family advanced the money first—Eastern Island Nation had clear regulations forbidding the police from advancing ransom money for any reason in a Kidnapping Case.

After all, without that rule, once a victim asked for financial help, the moral pressure on officers at the scene would be far too great.

"I'll raise the money right away!" Ayako said immediately.

"Officer Shiraishi..." Tomoko spoke arrogantly—was that any way to ask someone for help?

However, when she saw her daughter looking at her pleadingly and her husband wearing an expression that said, Say less, Tomoko could only sigh. "Who do you think the Suzuki family is? It's only three hundred million..." As she spoke, Tomoko directly made a call.

Not long afterward, someone from the bank personally delivered the three hundred million in cash.

During that time, Shiraishi asked Kuroki about the Kidnapping Case—because those foolish kidnappers had taken the wrong person, the Suzuki family knew nothing about what had happened.

Kuroki was considered quite a solid backbone of the Criminal Affairs Division.

[Kuroki Kenji (Beika police station detective):

Age: 30.

Overall Rating: R.

Mind: Justice (68), Principles (43), Gentleness (40), Subjectivity (68), Passion (61), Tenacity (67).

Body: Healthy, minor injuries...

Skills: Deduction (R), Interrogation (R), Driving (R)...

Potential: Moderate, inclined toward becoming a frontline detective.]

Furthermore, Shiraishi was fairly satisfied with the newly arrived rookie. Although Kanzaki looked very young, even somewhat slick and overly polished, his abilities were quite good across the board. More importantly... his potential was impressive!

[Kanzaki Ryuichi (Beika police station detective):

Age: 23.

Overall Rating: R.

Mind: Justice (72), Principles (82), Gentleness (70), Subjectivity (61), Passion (62), Tenacity (51).

Body: Exceptional hearing, healthy, mild nearsightedness...

Skills: Evidence Collection (R), Questioning (R), Fighting (N), Grappling (N)...

Potential: Enormous, inclined toward forensic technology.]

Kanzaki was a "rookie," but his foundations in every aspect were solid. As a newcomer, his principles were naturally quite strong, and his personality tended toward being warm.

However, he seemed not to have discovered his own potential direction yet. Shiraishi planned to transfer him to the Forensic Science Section when the opportunity arose!

But of course, he did not mention that now...

"What happened on your end? This girl was kidnapped right in front of you? You know her?" Shiraishi asked Kuroki.

When Kuroki heard the chief ask that, he became somewhat... flustered.

"Actually... I didn't know her identity before. I mean... I didn't even know she was a high school student..." Kuroki began by making excuses.

"Get to the point!" Shiraishi said irritably.

"Ahem. I met this girl at a bar. Because she was drunk, I was worried about her, so I wanted to take her back to where she lived... But just after we left the bar, we were attacked while passing through a small alley. It was too dark around us at the time, so I didn't see what they looked like. But there were at least three of them. I subdued two, and then... I was struck from behind and stayed unconscious until this morning. I picked up this student ID at the scene," Kuroki said awkwardly.

Seeing that Shiraishi said nothing, Kuroki especially emphasized, "I really was just taking her home!"

Kanzaki, standing nearby, was already looking at him with contempt...

"I just saw that she was young and was afraid she might run into bad people, so..." Kuroki continued trying to explain.

"Did they say anything? Did they come prepared?" Shiraishi interrupted.

"Yes. They didn't say a word and came straight for that girl," Kuroki replied hurriedly, then added, "But they didn't expect me to be a police officer either. When I showed my badge, they panicked for a moment... but they still attacked."

Shiraishi revealed a thoughtful expression, then immediately said, "The wardrobe should be finished being installed by now. You two can go... Go to that bar and investigate this girl further. Confirm her true identity!"

"What about the Kidnapping Case..." Kuroki felt that the urgent matter was not the girl's identity, but the kidnapping.

"I'll personally direct things here," Shiraishi said directly.

"Yes!" Only then did Kuroki relax.

"Oh, right, Kuroki." Shiraishi suddenly called out to him. After Kuroki stopped, Shiraishi muttered, "Today was your first day back after confinement, wasn't it? Going to a bar and taking a girl home during your confinement... Submit a written explanation and self-criticism afterward!"

"Yes..."

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