Not a detective

Page 223

Minister Morita initially tried to meet his gaze, but in that instant, he felt a chill running from head to toe.

This was the first time he had ever felt such immense pressure from the eyes of a younger person.

Although he had angered Kirisame Aoi and even made her draw her sword, the two kinds of pressure were completely different. Asakawa Riku's sense of oppression was more substantial.

That was the true killing intent that came from someone who had actually fought countless bloody battles.

After a moment of silence, Minister Morita decided to stop joking and instead sat up straight and spoke seriously, carefully choosing his words:

"Alright, although this is a secret within the department, since you are also involved and have the right to know, I will tell you. After the incident, we were not without countermeasures. Instead, we first dealt with any potential believers and dangerous elements within the department before taking the initiative. It may have been a bit late, but internal stability was the most important thing, so this was a last resort."

“We not only had our agents control the rioting believers in the city, but I even went to the core and tracked down the body possessed by Shinonome Kosuke. We have special methods to restrain and lock him, preventing his soul from transferring. As long as we imprison him and put him back in his place to face trial, we can solve the problem once and for all, and the matter can be brought to a satisfactory end.”

"Why did it not go smoothly? Of course, an accident happened. Just as we were about to kill him, Shinonome Kosuke spoke up."

"His words made me waver and ultimately I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Of course, it's not about bribing me with money or property to let him off the hook. When it comes to matters of principle, I remain firm and won't do something so foolish."

"The reason I can't bring myself to do it is all because of that one sentence he said—"

He said: "If we dare to do anything to him, he will immediately make all 700,000 believers in Tokyo commit suicide."

Orochi's Autumn: Chapter Eight - Secret Exchange

After hearing this, Asakawa Riku was also stunned and speechless.

He never imagined that such a story would happen on the other side of the city, in a place he couldn't see.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

Minister Morita pointed to Kirisame Aoi: "She was also there at the time, and I was the one who stopped the stab."

"Yes."

Kirisame Aoi nodded in acknowledgment, admitting that she and her master had been chasing after the mastermind, Shinonome Kosuke.

She wanted to kill that guy without a second thought, but her master blocked the blow.

They said, "You're still young; you can't make this kind of decision."

"At the time, I was thinking that as long as Asakawa could protect herself and be alright, that would be fine, so... I didn't do much else that I could."

She lowered her head, clearly feeling guilty.

Asakawa Lu remained silent, and could only say, "This is not your fault."

Although it was cunning of that old man, Minister Morita, to push Kirisame Aoi forward to soften his heart, this explanation was indeed plausible, and there was no reason to be angry.

The Ministry of Supervision was not inactive; rather, it faced a life-or-death decision and was unable to make a firm decision.

Unexpectedly, Kosuke Shinonome used the lives of 700,000 believers as hostages to prevent the Inspection Department from attacking him.

That's too ruthless and cunning.

The trolley problem—balancing the lives of 700,000 against 15 million—is a difficult choice not everyone can make.

“This is all my responsibility. I will not shirk it, nor will I make excuses for myself.”

Minister Morita frankly stated, "As the leader here, I was indecisive and failed to make timely decisions, which led to the situation deteriorating and I was powerless to do anything about it. But since so many lives are involved, I have no choice but to report it to the cabinet for a decision. This is just an attempt to pass the buck and shirk responsibility. Asakawa-kun, you know that once it goes up there, it's a long process."

By the time someone in the cabinet is willing to make this potentially offensive decision, it will probably be a long time coming.

Riku Asakawa was still shaken. If it weren't for Chizuko-senpai's intervention, using the power of the "curse" to sever the connection between the Supreme God and the believers in time.

That night, a truly horrific mass incident could occur, with "700,000 believers perishing together."

At that point, it will be an unstoppable vicious cycle... and the whole world will be thrown into turmoil.

can not imagine.

Asakawa Riku sighed and relaxed: "If it were me... if I knew the truth, I probably wouldn't be able to make that decision so easily either."

At the time, he was unaware of the existence of this hostage agreement, which allowed him to beat the guy mercilessly.

Even if he doesn't care about other people's lives, even if he knows the great principle that "not killing Higashino Kosuke will cause greater damage", such killing and sin is still hard for ordinary people to accept. Even if he can enjoy a moment of pleasure and leave after killing, Minister Morita is backed by a large organization, and he has to shoulder the fate and future of this organization.

I can understand him a little bit now.

"Thanks to you, young hero Asakawa-kun, we were able to save Tokyo. If it weren't for you, I don't know what our city would have become..."

The next second, Minister Morita observed that Asakawa Riku's expression had softened slightly, and instantly put on his original smiling face: "So, can this matter be put on hold?"

Such a quick change of heart; I really shouldn't have sympathized with this kind of person so easily...

Asakawa Riku was speechless, but what he said was right; it's not good to dwell too much on the past.

Let's get back to the main business at hand.

"You don't need to thank me much, just help me with this favor."

He took another sip of tea: "Since you've told me a secret, I'll tell you one too."

...

Next, Riku Asakawa recounted the story of "Nue no Natsu" to Department Head Morita.

Of course, it wasn't as detailed and complete as when I told Kirisame Aoi; I only picked out some key points from the story and omitted some secrets and psychological details that were irrelevant to the investigation.

After all, they were the ones who experienced it firsthand, while Minister Morita was just an outsider.

Nevertheless, this bizarre and strange story deeply shocked Minister Morita.

The middle-aged man's face repeatedly showed a complex expression of surprise, astonishment, confusion, and doubt. He even stood up and paced around the room at one point, as if he was thinking about something.

"That's it."

Asakawa Riku spoke more, his fluency and proficiency increased.

Perhaps he was also afraid that this memory would be forgotten again.

Minister Morita walked to the computer on his desk, typed a few words on the keyboard, and then frowned even more as he looked at the screen.

"You're searching for 'Asuka-i Shi', right? You can't find it."

Asakawa Riku had already anticipated what he would do.

Kiri Aoi chimed in, "Our goal is to find the person whose existence has been erased, which is something that can't be done by ordinary means."

"You mean, there exists a girl like this. Her appearance hasn't changed in three years, and she might even have the ability to maintain her youth and immortality. She can also freely modify reality, alter the memories of the entire world, and erase all evidence of her existence. She even possesses formidable combat abilities; even our Asakawa-kun is no match for her..."

Minister Morita looked up, his face grim: "Excuse me for being frank, but I don't believe there are such powerful superpowered individuals."

There are limits to the abilities in this world. The greater the ability, the stronger the side effects, as if the heavens have limited the limits of humankind.

Otherwise, overly powerful superhumans would have destroyed the world long ago. It is precisely because of this limitation that world peace is protected in a certain sense.

Asu Asai's character in the story seems to be too powerful and too omnipotent.

They seem to be omniscient and omnipotent "gods," yet they don't rely on faith; they are the kind found in true legends and classic texts.

"I can testify that what he said is true!"

Kirisame Aoi became anxious and spoke up for Asakawa Riku: "Although only the two of us remember what happened back then and remember this person, they all really existed."

“I certainly don’t think my apprentice is lying to me.”

Minister Morita shook his head: "But I suspect your memories have been altered. You believe that only the two of you know the correct memories, but could it be that they are the wrong ones?"

Misty Rain Sunflower was speechless.

What he said makes a lot of sense. If a person's memory is different from that of the world, then how can we prove that the problem isn't with that person?

If someone doesn't fit in with the world, then according to general theory, that would be considered "mental illness."

Asakawa Riku had the same thought. If it weren't for the deep-rooted memory in his mind and the discovery of Kirisame Aoi as a companion, he would have doubted whether it was his own problem.

But now, he has already figured out the answer:

"Remember what I just said? Your supervisory department tried to preserve the records of that case, but the contents would always mysteriously disappear on their own. So you eventually found a special method to preserve the case file. If we find that case file now, wouldn't that prove what I said is true?"

The Autumn of Yagi: Chapter Nine - Lady Sagawa

Upon hearing this, Minister Morita immediately became serious.

Asakawa Riku did indeed provide a clear and easy-to-understand method of proof; if the case file could be found, everything would be self-evident.

He didn't answer, but instead looked at Kirisame Aoi standing to the side:

"It seems... you brought him here because you already had a plan for how to find him, right?"

“Yes.” Kirisame Aoi nodded in agreement: “I want to borrow Ms. Sagawa’s power.”

Asakawa Riku was somewhat puzzled, not knowing what they were talking about, only noticing the helpless expression on Minister Morita's face:

"You traitorous apprentice..."

Then he stood up and opened the office door: "Come with me."

...

So Asakawa and Riku followed him, without leaving the Inspection Department, and not even going far, until they reached another corner on the same floor.

Pushing open the door, one finds a room layout very similar to the minister's office. Before entering, Asakawa Riku saw a plaque that read "Vice Minister's Office".

...Deputy Minister?

Although the rooms have similar layouts, their styles are completely different. They are not decorated in an executive style, but are filled with a large number of fresh flowers and potted plants.

For a moment, it felt as if I had stepped into a greenhouse incubator, with almost nowhere to put my feet, and the scent of flowers wafting from all directions.

Autumn is not the season for flowers to bloom, but here the flowers are blooming in unusual abundance, a riot of colors and a breathtaking sight.

There were no clocks, desks, computers, chairs, or other office equipment. Instead, paintings hung on the walls, making it look like an art gallery.

The painting is full of flowers, making it impossible to distinguish which ones are real.

Minister Morita seemed to know this place very well. Following his steps, we wouldn't get lost and made our way forward, pushing aside the grass and trees.

This room should only be a few dozen square meters, so why is it so big? Is it just an optical illusion?

Before they could get an answer, after a while, things finally took a turn for the better, and they saw the person in the flower bushes.

She was an elderly woman.

"This must be Nue. I've always wanted to meet you, but I'm physically unable to move around. I never expected to have the chance to meet you today. How wonderful!"

The old woman spoke in a kind voice, "My name is Sagawa Hagoromo. Just like everyone else, you can call me Ms. Sagawa."

Is she the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Supervision?

Although Asakawa Riku had doubts, he still went over. The old man was sitting cross-legged on a futon, saying that he had difficulty walking. So he squatted down slightly and shook hands with him.

His aged and withered skin suggested he was probably over ninety years old, but his voice was clear and resonant, showing no signs of frailty due to his advanced age.

Ms. Sagawa's body was somewhat strange; her head was thin and hunched over, while her head seemed to be a size larger than normal. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she did not look at Asakawa Riku even as he approached.

Asakawa Riku didn't ask any further questions. He wasn't the type to laugh at other people's physical abnormalities, especially since it was very likely a side effect of his superpowers...

He shook hands with her and then let go, stepping back. He couldn't sense her strength for the time being. Could she be some kind of hidden master?

I only felt a gentle, warm glow, without any malice or hostility.

“Ms. Sagawa,” Kirisame Aoi began, “we’ve come here hoping you can do us a favor.”

Then, she repeated the story of "Nue no Natsu" in accordance with the cut criteria that Asakawa Riku had just mentioned.

I'm getting tired of hearing it so many times.

Perhaps due to her age and experience, Ms. Sagawa did not react much or show much surprise when she heard these things; she simply listened quietly.

He didn't even open his eyes, making Asakawa Riku suspect that someone had been eavesdropping and knew all along.

After Kirisame Aoi finished speaking, Minister Morita picked up the conversation:

"...So, we hope you can help us verify whether the case file is true."

"Ok, I see."

Ms. Sagawa nodded in response.

It seems the case file is hidden here, but I wonder what special method she used to preserve it, and whether it can escape Asukai Shi's "erasure"?

Asakawa Riku hoped everything was alright, otherwise he would have to go through a lot of trouble to prove that this was true.