7:20 AM.
Juzo Megure entered the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division office with tired eyes.
His colleague, Director Ito, sat holding coffee: "Yo, Juzo. Your case wrapped up?"
Seeing Director Ito, Miwako Sato, and Wataru Takagi behind Megure, they immediately bowed: "Good morning, Director Ito."
Ito waved casually to ease their formality, then asked Megure: "Want some coffee?"
"I'll take a cup."
As Megure responded, the quick-witted Takagi rushed to make coffee.
Megure sighed and sat beside Ito: "Ito, was the Shinagawa district your responsibility? How'd it go?"
"Landed safely," Ito said with lingering fear. "Though the wheels nearly got damaged. The young ladies gave us hell for it - we had to bow for over an hour before they let us go. Your situation?"
"Much better. The victims were unconscious when rescued. After loading them onto an ambulance, our work was done." Megure wiped his sweaty face with a handkerchief.
Ito joked, "Seems our jobs and heads are safe for now."
"Wasn't there still one person unaccounted for?" Juzo Megure asked with some confusion. "Minister Fujiwara's daughter?"
"Haven't you heard?" Inspector Ito looked at Megure in surprise.
"I've been running around all night and just got back. What could I possibly have heard?" Megure's face showed clear resentment as he spoke.
After all, he'd spent the whole night frightened and busy. If not for his decades of experience as a detective, giving him strong mental resilience, he might have cracked already.
"Running around all night? No wonder you haven't heard then."
Inspector Ito took a sip of coffee and said calmly:
"Minister Fujiwara's daughter returned home last night around 10 pm."
"What did you say?"
Megure accepted the coffee Wataru Takagi handed him, thanked him, then turned back to Inspector Ito:
"Who rescued her?"
At this, Inspector Ito glanced at Takagi and Miwako Sato standing behind Megure.
Seeing this, Megure raised his hand:
"Don't worry, Ito. I trust them completely."
Convinced by Megure's assurance, Inspector Ito pulled his chair closer and said in a lower voice:
"Rumour has it Minister Fujiwara called in a favour from someone in the Hidden Management Department."
"Someone from the Hidden Management Department?" Megure blinked, not immediately understanding.
But Sato gasped in realisation:
"Director Luo Shu? Minister Fujiwara has connections with him, too?"
Inspector Ito chuckled and pointed at Megure: "See that, Juzo? Your subordinate's quicker on the uptake than you are. No wonder you've never moved up the ranks."
After another sip of coffee, Ito continued:
"Miwako's right. It was Director Luo."
"Apparently, Minister Fujiwara treated him to dinner in the evening, and by 10 pm, his daughter was safely home."
"Word is, from last night until dawn, the Commissioner General was calling up senior commanders one by one to give them an earful. None of the big shots were in a good mood this morning."
"Eh? Why would the Commissioner General scold people?" Takagi asked, thoroughly confused.
At this, Megure, Sato and Inspector Ito all turned to stare at Takagi, who shrank back like a scolded wife, not daring to make another sound.
Having silenced Takagi with their stares, Megure turned back:
"Originally, it was a perfectly executed rescue, but now there's this complication. No wonder the Commissioner General is furious."
Although nominally part of the Metropolitan Police Department, Megure knew the Hidden Management Department's director wasn't really one of them - more like an overseer or disciplinary officer.
Having the rescue of a minister's daughter handed to the Ministry of Environment Countermeasures Office was already a blow to the Commissioner's pride. Now, with the Hidden Management Department getting involved too, it was practically calling the Metropolitan Police incompetent—a direct slap to the Commissioner's face.
Anyone in that position would be furious.
For important people, face is everything!
"So what happens now?" Megure asked.
"What can we do? Just keep our heads down and don't make mistakes."
Inspector Ito shrugged, then warned Megure:
"Juzo, brace yourself. The cherry blossoms are about to fall."
Megure's eyes widened.
'The cherry blossoms are about to fall' - code meaning the top position was about to change hands.
"The Commissioner General couldn't be..."
"Although there were no casualties, someone must take responsibility for such a major incident, don't you agree?"
Inspector Ito patted Juzo Megure on the shoulder and said:
"At our age, and not being career officers, we won't be climbing any higher. Watch your head, don't let it get crushed."
With that, Inspector Ito stood up and left the Metropolitan Police Department.
Left behind, Juzo Megure muttered to himself:
"Is he suggesting I find a patron? But who could I possibly turn to?"
Juzo Megure sank into confusion.
...
Morning, Sakura Apartments, Room 303.
Luo Shu pushed open the bathroom door, stepping out while drying his hair with a towel in one hand and holding his phone in the other.
Seeing this, Kisara, who had been waiting at the door, immediately knelt down to dry Luo Shu's feet with a fresh towel.
After a token resistance, Luo Shu let her have her way, focusing on the phone call:
"I see, so they purchased information again last night?"
"Yes!"
Meer's voice on the phone was lively and playful.
"What information did Hagoromo Gitsune buy?" Luo Shu asked curiously.
"Information about Hao Asakura." Meer replied cheerfully: "It seems that Great Yokai is beginning to suspect something."
"I'm more inclined to think she's been fooled." Luo Shu said with an amused smile, looking thoroughly pleased: "This actually suits my purposes."
"If she remained completely unsuspecting like before, there'd be no room to manoeuvre."
"Whereas now, harbouring doubts and trusting no one actually makes her more likely to cooperate with us."
Hearing this, Meer chuckled softly: "Because a triangle is the most stable structure, right?"
"Formed by us, Hagoromo Gitsune and Abe no Seimei - three mutually distrustful points."
Luo Shu didn't refute this, merely asking:
"When do you think Hagoromo Gitsune will come to me?"
"Within a week?" Meer ventured uncertainly.
Luo Shu laughed: "I think it'll be today, or rather, this evening."
Meer sounded startled.
Then Luo Shu continued:
"But making it too easy for her to find me would make me seem cheap."
"So... let her wait?" Meer suggested eagerly.
At this, Luo Shu smiled:
"Yesterday, Mr Fujiwara seemed keen to introduce me to the director of the Totsuki Group. Why not meet him tonight?"
With that, Luo Shu hung up, then lowered his hand to pat Kisara's restless head.
With a long exhale, he began a new morning.