The First Investigation of Rookie Career Police Officer Akechi - Chapter 28
Chapter 28 : b-1) At Yotsuya Part 2
Kadono came on board in response to Kobayashi’s proposal.
“I understand… What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
Kobayashi answered right away, and Kadoono displayed a face of astonishment.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When did you meet Planning Officer Haruki?”
“I knew his name as one of the rising stars in the technical field, but I started meeting him directly in February this year. It was right after Yoshida, one of our team members, had a big argument with the then-senior officer, Haruki, over protective performance concerns. Haruki invited me for a drink shortly after that.”
“Was it just the two of you drinking?”
“No, there was one more person, an old guy named Endo, who is a former employee.”
“Do you know about Endo?”
“I don’t know much about him. I think he mentioned something about being the director of a firm called Endo Central Consultants.”
“What kind of conversation did you have?”
“It’s the same as what I said to that little brother at the restaurant. It can’t be helped to build Self-Defense Forces facilities with insufficient protection. It’s for the Ministry of Defense. We felt like we needed to prevent Yoshida from disrupting this course of action.”
It seems a bit different from what I discussed with Akechi on Saturday. Kobayashi continued to ask questions carefully.
“Who initiated that conversation?”
“It was old man Endo who brought it up. Haruki was just nodding along.”
“Did he say why it would be good for the Ministry of Defense?”
“No, I thought it was for the benefit of the contractors.”
“What else did you talk about?”
“It wasn’t anything significant. Just small talk.”
“What kind of small talk was that?”
“You’re so persistent. They were talking about Endo’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Ikebukuro, and Haruki was praising how delicious it was. It seems that Endo and Haruki often meet there.”
“What’s the name of the restaurant?”
“I don’t remember the exact name… It had a strange name, though. Oh, I remember now! Haruki was calling it ‘Aichin,’ but Endo corrected him, saying it’s ‘Aijen.'”
“Did you go for drinks together on other occasions besides that day?”
“It was just that one time. Afterward, I’ve been simply sending daily updates to Haruki.”
“What kind of communication did you have on the day you drank in Akabane?”
“I sent a message that said, ‘Tonight, it seems Yoshida and Vice Director Nagayama will be drinking in Akabane.’ Also, I saw that they received the list of protective performance for each facility, so I sent the message at that time.”
“What was Haruki’s response?”
“Nothing. He just receives emails. He always ignores them.”
At that moment, Kobayashi’s smartphone rang. It was a message from Nakamura. Kobayashi quickly read it, and Kadono asked with apparent annoyance.
“Is it finished, old man?”
“Not yet. What happened after the meeting in Akabane?”
“What do you mean? I just went home by myself.”
“How about Vice Director Nagayama?”
“I don’t know ? Didn’t he go home alone?”
“You’ve been watching the hit-and-run scene involving Vice Director Nagayama, right? Why are you lying?” Kadono grimaced.
“What, you know about it?”
“Why did you lie?”
“I lied because I didn’t want to deal with all the questions.”
“No, that’s not it. You went home with Vice Director Nagayama, right? And you were constantly updating Haruki on his whereabouts. Did you use a GPS location app?”
Kadono was surprised. “W-why do you know about that?”
“I just found out.”
“Hah ?”
“I was suspicious. And recently I got help from such an app.”
“You… that’s sneaky.”
“Did Haruki tell you to install the app?”
“….”
“Did you install it before the Akabane drinking party?”
“….”
Kadono doesn’t answer.
“What are you so scared of? Are you also afraid of dying in an accident?”
“Don’t mess around!”
Kadono responded with boldness, but his face displayed uncertainty.
“Show me the app for a moment.”
“Why?”
“They’ve killed two people already. I wouldn’t take lightly the possibility of a third.”
“Tsk.”
Kadono clicked his tongue and then showed his smartphone to Kobayashi. There was no icon that appeared to be related to the app.
“There’s nothing here?”
When Kobayashi asked, Kadono buried his head in his hands.
“That’s why I’m scared! Haruki told me to download some location tracking app I’ve never heard of before going to Akabane. But the icon didn’t appear. Even if I wanted to delete it, I don’t even know where they are. Shit, I guess they’re really connected to the yakuza.”
“Did Haruki and the others tell you that?”
“They didn’t say it! But it’s gotta be. It has to be.”
Kadono seemed overwhelmed by fear and confusion. Kobayashi tried to reassure him.
“Based on my experience, it’s unlikely that they would resort to using the yakuza to kill policymakers at the ministry just because construction orders have decreased slightly.”
“I-Is that so?” Kadoono looked at Kobayashi with a pleading expression.
“Yeah. Even though it’s your own doing, this whole situation is a bit strange, isn’t it?”
“People have been dying around you in quick succession, and it happened right after you made contact. It’s definitely unusual.”
Kadono looked at Kobayashi with blank eyes.
“When I informed Haruki that Yoshida had given the list to Vice Director Nagayama, I received a message from Haruki saying, ‘Go home with Vice Director Nagayama.’ We live in the same dormitory, so we just went home together. While I was planning to stop by a convenience store, Vice Director Nagayama was hit by a motorcycle. If I hadn’t gone to the convenience store at that time, I would have been involved as well.”
Kadono scratched his head. “What should I do….”
†?†?†
Kobayashi advised Kadono to contact him anytime if anything unusual happened, to always save his communication with Haruki, and to make it clear that he would refrain from any involvement with women in the future. Heleft the café with a strange, almost chilling feeling of being watched, which Kobayashi shook off with a shake of his head. He then took out his smartphone from his pocket.
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Translated by : Cutae30