The First Day on the Job / Testimony from Three Sides ...

But if we're talking about something bigger... even executing nine generations of one's family is a small matter.

Think about what crime was committed in ancient times when someone attempted to assassinate the emperor?

Yamabuki Chidori was laughing so hard, she even made a "V" sign with her hand.

Shinji Hirako was also a very intelligent person, and in an instant he realized that this bastard was definitely trying to trick him.

Moreover, their own Captain is a stubborn person, and if things aren't handled properly, he might even cut off their head.

"I know I was wrong, I'll never do it again." Shinji Hirako lowered his head.

This is a way of giving himself a warning.

I'll make sure I behave myself and don't cause any trouble in the future!

Obana Danjirou turned to look at Yamabuki Chidori: "You're the victim in this matter, how do you plan to handle it?"

How did he become the victim? I'm clearly the biggest victim, aren't I? Shinji Hirako muttered to himself.

I tried my best to chop him down last night, but I couldn't even scratch a single hair on his head.

Now I have to honestly apologize to both of you here.

Yamabuki Chidori gave a strange smile, "They're all just kids, I'm not angry. How about this, you lend me this kid for a couple of days, let him work in the Staff Department for three months, and I'll return him to you after three months!"

"Make a deal."

Chapter 140: First Day at Work

Wait, you two bastards, you just tossed me around like that, did you even think about how I felt? Shinji Hirako silently complained to himself.

Ugh! What a hassle! But I guess I've learned my lesson; I promise this will never happen again.

Yamabuki Chidori smiled and handed over a bowl of chilled Wine: "Then I'll be looking after you from today onwards, Shinji Hirako."

With a forced yet polite smile, Shinji Hirako, feeling helpless, had no choice but to accept the sake and drink it. He had to admit that the taste was quite good, which made his eyes light up.

"Alright, it's almost time for work, let's go back!" Yamabuki Chidori grabbed Shinji Hirako by the back of his collar and dragged Shinji Hirako.

Shinji Hirako also said goodbye to his Captain: "Captain, I'll be back in three months, so please don't miss me!"

With a helpless smile on his face, Obana Danjirou thought, "Why are all my subordinates people I can't trust? It was the same with Tsunayashiro Fūka before, and it's the same with Shinji Hirako now. There's not a single reliable person among them."

Maybe this is just my fate!

Shinji Hirako followed Yamabuki Chidori to the Staff Department and found that the environment here was completely different from that of the Fifth Division. Everyone was busy processing various documents, and apart from the rustling sound of turning pages, no other sound could be heard.

Suddenly, Shinji Hirako realized that working here might actually be quite interesting.

"Honestly, he promised last night that he wouldn't tell the Captain about that, so why did he go back on his word this morning!" Shinji Hirako muttered under his breath.

Yamabuki Chidori reached out and gently flicked Shinji Hirako's forehead. "You can believe the enemy? You're too naive! In this job, learning to distinguish lies is the most basic thing."

"Yes, yes, you're right. So when do we start working?" Shinji Hirako said listlessly.

Yamabuki Chidori unceremoniously placed a huge stack of documents into Shinji Hirako's hands, and said with a bright smile, "I'm leaving this work to you, Hirako!"

Shinji Hirako's face stiffened, and she said in an uncertain tone, "You're not serious, are you? I just started working here today? Didn't the Staff Department provide any training? Is it alright to give me so much work right away?"

At the same time, Shinji Hirako lowered his head slightly and saw that the top document was "Personnel Allocation for the Hueco Mundo Expedition".

"Hey, hey, hey! This is a very important issue! Aren't you afraid of making mistakes by throwing it at a newbie like me?" Shinji Hirako said in alarm.

What if my mistake causes casualties among the Hueco Mundo expedition team?

"If something goes wrong, of course I'll hand you over to take the blame without hesitation! What else can I do?" Yamabuki Chidori said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Shinji Hirako finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Tell me the truth, you didn't bring me to work in the Staff Department because you wanted to blatantly slack off, did you?"

"How could that be? I take my work very seriously!" Yamabuki Chidori said with a look of "surprise".

"I don't believe you for a second!" Shinji Hirako angrily walked to an empty seat and looked at the documents in his hands.

Running... there's no escaping it anyway.

Shinji Hirako raised his head again to confirm. "Since you don't care about this work, then I won't be polite. I won't care how it ends up."

"Just go ahead and do it. The final decision rests with me anyway," Yamabuki Chidori said with a smile.

The documents that the Staff Department had to process were all classified into different levels, representing different degrees of importance. Yamabuki Chidori personally reviewed the truly important documents, regardless of whether they had been processed or not. As for those unimportant documents, the outcome wouldn't change much no matter how they were handled.

Shinji Hirako had tied a white cloth strip around his forehead, looking like a student who forgot to do his homework on the last day of summer vacation.

Shinji Hirako was originally ready to make a big splash, but to his utter surprise, he got stuck on the second document.

"This is..." Shinji Hirako carefully read the document, his expression gradually becoming serious.

The document actually recorded a murder case, and it even involved two nobles.

"Hey, can I handle something this important?" Shinji Hirako asked. Human life is a strange thing. In times of chaos, it is worthless and no one seems to care about human life. Only in times of peace and prosperity do people value human rights.

The Soul Society is currently in a relatively peaceful and prosperous state, so when it comes to "human life," both the Staff Department and the Central 46 take it very seriously.

If not handled properly, it could very well trigger a public outcry.

"Of course, now that these documents are in your hands, it's up to you how you handle them. Also, the documents you have are not the final judgment. After you've finished processing them, these documents will be submitted to the Central 46 for review. If any problems are found, these documents will be sent back for re-examination," Yamabuki Chidori explained.

"Speaking of which, aren't you one of the Central 46? Do you hold all the highest decisions in the Central 46? Can't you handle this kind of case yourself? Why do you have to hand it over to an outsider like me?" Shinji Hirako said with a face full of complaints, but even so, he continued to watch out of curiosity.

The deceased was a noblewoman, and the murderer was none other than her husband? The incident stemmed from the noblewoman's affair with another man, which her husband discovered, leading to a violent attack that resulted in the death of his wife. However, the man she was having an affair with escaped.

Now, both men have been arrested and are awaiting interrogation, but the most crucial point is that their testimonies are completely contradictory, and both have witnesses to corroborate them, making it difficult to determine who is lying.

There were no surveillance cameras or anything like that back then, so it was very difficult to find evidence.

"How come I'm encountering such a troublesome situation on my first day of work? I hate trouble more than anything," Shinji Hirako said, rubbing his head.

To determine who is lying, the only way is to question the two prisoners directly.

"Um, can I go to the Jail to question the prisoners?" Shinji Hirako asked.

"Of course, take this." Yamabuki Chidori tossed over a badge, which was the Staff Department's "work certificate." Showing this badge in Seireitei would allow you to move freely.

Shinji Hirako arrived at the Jail with his work ID, presented it, and successfully entered the Jail to meet the inmates.

Chapter 141: Testimony from Three Parties

The Jail gates slowly opened, Shinji Hirako entered the depths of the Jail, where he saw the man who had murdered his wife.

According to the information, the man's name is Kusakawa Ryunosuke, a Middle-Ranking Noble. At this moment, the man looks haggard, his eyes are lifeless, and he sits blankly in the chair.

Shinji Hirako frowned slightly and looked at the jailer beside him. "Have you tortured him?"

"No, sir, the use of torture on prisoners is now prohibited, in order to prevent false confessions from being obtained through torture," the jailer said.

Shinji Hirako pondered for a moment, then said to the jailer, "Alright, I understand. You can go now. I'll call you if I need anything."

The jailer bowed slightly and then quickly retreated, leaving only Shinji Hirako and Kusakawa Ryunosuke in front of him.

"Kusakawa Ryunosuke, right? I'm Shinji Hirako from the Staff Department. Regarding your case..." Before Shinji Hirako could finish speaking, Kusakawa Ryunosuke suddenly rushed over excitedly and grabbed the iron bars.

"Has the Staff Department found the real culprit? Can the Staff Department clear my name?" Kusakawa Ryunosuke asked hurriedly.

Shinji Hirako immediately noticed the two most important words here: innocence.

Isn't this person in front of me the murderer? Didn't he kill his wife in a fit of the Rage because she cheated on him? Why is he reacting so agitatedly?

A flicker of surprise crossed Shinji Hirako's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said calmly, "I'm here to investigate some matters. Please calm down."

Kusakawa Ryunosuke tried his best to calm himself down and opened his eyes with difficulty. "Okay, ask away! I'll cooperate."

Shinji Hirako took out a pen and paper, preparing to record all of Kusakawa Ryunosuke's testimony.

Then Shinji Hirako asked the first question, "Did you really kill your wife because she cheated on you?"

After hearing this, Kusakawa Ryunosuke froze for two or three seconds, then almost jumped up. "Are you kidding me? How could I kill my own wife? I've never killed anyone!"

Shinji Hirako's pupils contracted. Why were the prisoner's confessions different from those recorded in the documents?

Shinji Hirako took out a Zanpakuto from his hand, the Zanpakuto covered in blood, and said coldly, "This should be your Zanpakuto, right? According to the autopsy report, your wife died by this sword, and when you were arrested, this sword was hanging at your waist. How do you explain this?"

Kusakawa Ryunosuke was speechless for a moment, and his eyes began to flicker.

"You're lying," Shinji Hirako said. "You should know the consequences of lying, shouldn't you? If you really want me to help you, tell the truth."

"Actually... I don't remember what happened that night very well," Kusakawa Ryunosuke said in a low voice. "I drank a lot that night, I blacked out! I don't even know how I got home. When I sobered up... I was already surrounded by Punishment Corps."

Shinji Hirako never expected things to develop in such a bizarre direction. He didn't even know if he had killed anyone. In this situation, it wouldn't be unreasonable to sentence him to drunken murder.

"The document also says your wife cheated on you, is that true?" Shinji Hirako asked.

"This is absolutely true!" Kusakawa Ryunosuke shouted. "My wife has always been a promiscuous woman. She's been cheating on me with her lover all these years. I only decided to kill her after I caught her in bed with her lover!"

Shinji Hirako's face darkened. "Didn't you just say you were drunk and couldn't remember anything?"

Kusakawa Ryunosuke was speechless again, his eyes glazed over, and he lowered his head, not daring to say anything more.

This person's testimony is contradictory? There's a high chance what he just said is unreliable. Shinji Hirako Shinji Hirako inwardly cursed, "Why does such trouble have to happen to me?" He muttered to himself, then asked the final, crucial question, "How did you know your wife was cheating? Do you have any evidence?"

"Of course there is. Punishment Corps found a noble's crest under my bed. It's the Inuta Clan family crest. Our family has never had any dealings with the Inuta Clan, so why would there be another family crest under my bed? Later, I heard from my neighbor that strange men often come to my house when I'm not home. Doesn't that explain everything?" Kusakawa Ryunosuke shouted.

After recording all of this, Shinji Hirako left the cell without saying a word.

Looking at the statement in his hand, Shinji Hirako felt a headache coming on. This Kusakawa Ryunosuke seemed to be trying his best to prove that his wife had cheated on him, because in doing so, his crime would be greatly reduced. No, judging from the initial situation, he didn't think he had killed anyone.

If there are contradictions in the testimony, then the credibility of that testimony becomes very low.

Why was I assigned such a troublesome task when I'm just a newbie? Could it be because I'm new that they're dumping all the work that nobody else wants on me? Shinji Hirako wondered to herself.

To find out whether Kusakawa Ryunosuke was lying or not, the only way is to ask the other suspect, Inuta Ranpo, who was having an affair with someone else's wife.

According to the information provided by the Staff Department, the tragedy occurred because Inuta Ranpo did something inappropriate with Kusakawa Ryunosuke's wife, which was then discovered by Kusakawa Ryunosuke, leading to the tragedy.

But is that really the case?

Soon, Shinji Hirako encountered Inuta Ranpo. Inuta Ranpo's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked extremely weak. After Shinji Hirako explained his purpose, Inuta Ranpo exclaimed, "I'm innocent! I'm truly innocent! I didn't kill anyone, and I didn't commit adultery. This is all a frame-up!"

Shinji Hirako immediately grasped the key point of that sentence.

kill?

You didn't just cheat on your partner, why are you being involved in murder?

Who on earth wrote this document from the Staff Department? There are so many loopholes! The intelligence provided doesn't match up with either side at all. Are you kidding me?!

"What did you do that night? If you want me to help you, tell me the truth," Shinji Hirako said.

Inuta Ranpo broke down and said, "I didn't do anything that night. I stayed home all night. My wife can testify to that."

Staying home all night?

Shinji Hirako was even more bewildered. Written documents, two criminals, yet three different conclusions—what was going on?

"Your wife, as someone close to you, cannot testify as a witness; you should know that!" Shinji Hirako said. "Besides that, what other evidence do you have to prove you were at home?"

Inuta Ranpo's face showed an even greater expression of pain as he slowly shook his head.

Chapter 142: Hey bro, want to stay for some stir-fried pork?

Shinji Hirako is now actually quite interested in this case. The two suspects have completely opposing views, which are even unrelated. The information they originally had was completely irrelevant to the case!

What secret is involved here?

Shinji Hirako asked a very crucial question.

"Since you say you haven't left your home, then why was your family crest found at the crime scene?" Shinji Hirako asked.

"Can't you even see that? This is clearly a frame-up! Our two families have never been in contact, and we didn't even know each other before the incident. I also wonder why the badge on my clothes was found at the crime scene. This is clearly a frame-up!" Inuta Ranpo shouted, his emotions running high. "Please believe me, I'm truly innocent! My wife can really testify for me; I didn't leave home that night."

Shinji Hirako knew that he probably wouldn't be able to get any information out of the two suspects.

In that case, we can only try to extract more useful information from a third person.

That was Inuta Ranpo's wife.

Shinji Hirako went directly to Inuta Ranpo's house and saw his wife Yumiko.

Although her husband was the Jail for suspected murder and adultery, the woman appeared remarkably calm. She had a beauty mark under her eye, and her demeanor was like a needle hidden in a sponge—soft, yet capable of pricking you at any moment, and pricking you painfully!

Yumiko held a pipe in her hand, showing no panic even when she saw the Staff Department. She took a puff of her pipe as if no one was around, and then blew the sweet smoke onto Shinji Hirako's face.

"I don't want to inhale secondhand smoke. I'm here to ask you some questions. Please answer truthfully. These questions are related to whether your husband will be acquitted." Shinji Hirako said, fanning the smoke in front of her.