Chapter 25: Encountering the World is a Huge Piece of Mixed Pieces.
Monday was also the first sunny day after the temperature dropped in Tokyo.
Afternoon restaurant.
The chef, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchen, while the waiters and waitresses bustling around the restaurant all had smiles on their faces.
The surrounding area is mostly old-fashioned office buildings, and white-collar workers who take a lunch break have always favored restaurants with such attentive service, where they can order a cup of coffee, read the news, or finish the work they didn't complete in the morning.
But Kitagawa Ryusei and his group were slightly different—they were still busy with the work they hadn't finished last week.
“Since joining the Special Investigations Unit, my ‘do it today’ habit has been cured,” Asahina Yugo still couldn’t shake his habit of being sarcastic while working: “Let me see what Hosono is hiding in the company… Ha!”
He moved the computer closer: "What makes this foundation so special that Seiichiro Hosono keeps pouring money into it every month?"
When Kitagawa Ryusei and Kawashima Chisa arrived at the restaurant after questioning Hosono Seiichiro's secretary, they saw him sitting in a corner muttering to himself.
They were all donkeys working for the National Police Agency, and Kitagawa Ryusei could understand their little quirks while working.
"How's the investigation going?"
Asahina Yugo kept typing on the keyboard: "I'm starting to get a clue. This Hosono Company donates to a charitable foundation every month, and the amount is not small, depending on the company's monthly income. Several of the foundation's leaders and investors look somewhat familiar to me."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and tapped his temple, winking smugly: "As you know, I have a photographic memory."
Kawashima Chisa sat upright, ignoring the other party's smug boasting: "We also asked Hosono's secretary, who said that he had his own account book, which was previously kept in the president's office, but Hosono Seiichiro took the account book out a few days ago and has not brought it back since."
Kitagawa Ryusei tapped his fingertips on the table and added, "That day, President Hosono spent three hours at a cattery that was not on his itinerary."
It's hard not to be suspicious.
“Let’s go check out the cattery,” he decided on the next step.
“Okay,” Asahina Yugo said, closing his laptop without objection. He picked up the honey waffles the waiter had brought and handed them to the two of them: “Would you like some?”
Ms. Kawashima politely declined, stating that she wanted to maintain her figure.
Looking at the beautiful golden-brown color of the waffle and the golden honey drizzled on top, Kitagawa Ryusei's face lit up with a mix of emotions, seemingly making connections: "...Thank you, but no thanks."
Indeed, humans have been using gold far too frequently!
*
The cat shelter is not far from Seiichiro Hosono's company address, but the decor is very cozy. The first floor is an office and meeting place, furnished with pink fabric sofas, and you can hear the kittens splashing on the second floor.
It's hard to imagine that in a busy downtown area, someone would use the entire second floor to create a comfortable environment where cats can run around freely.
“Our cattery wasn’t here before, since the city center is too noisy and might stress the little guys, but the owner’s son said that moving here would help with revenue.”
The shop assistant led the three people to the office: "If you're here for an interview, you'll have to wait a bit. The upstairs light broke this morning, and Mr. Karasawa, who is in charge of the interviews, just went out to buy a light bulb."
Her tone was full of energy.
The young man with cat-eyes smiled gently: "No, it wasn't me."
The man with long black hair was still wearing a knitted hat, politely declining the offer, and casually glancing around.
The blond youth rolled his eyes at the latter, then turned around and put on a bright, friendly smile, his round eyes curving slightly: "I'm the one who wanted to apply for a waiter position at your store, but it sounds like you don't need any extra staff. Do I still have a chance to get the job?"
Any one of the three handsome men was very friendly to the shop assistant, who enthusiastically urged her to stay: "Of course! The young boss was planning to expand the cattery recently, which is why he posted recruitment information at the door."
“Really? That’s great!” The young man seemed very happy about the news.
He then chatted with her for a bit about the cattery's operations, as if he wanted to learn about the job in advance.
It wasn't until the young man with cat-eye eyes interrupted, "Excuse me, Ms. Iwashita, could you please take me to the restroom?"
Misato Iwashita wasn't annoyed by the interruption and said good-naturedly, "Of course, please follow me. The restroom is indeed hard to find inside."
"That door in front is the boss's office. You two can go in and wait."
The remaining two nodded.
Once the others left, the two people, who had been relatively restrained in their sizing up, suddenly became unrestrained.
The long-haired man pushed open the office door, his tone questioning, "The ledgers are really here?"
"If you doubt my information, then go find it yourself," Furuya Rei replied irritably.
The two were far apart; there was enough room for an ox to stand between them.
These three are the organization's current rookie members: Bourbon, Rye, and Scotland.
The three new members, still in the process of getting to know each other, received a mission yesterday: to find the private ledger hidden by the organization's traitor, Seiichiro Hosono.
This was also the organization's first test for this team.
Although they knew the intelligence team had an advantage in tasks like finding things, Bourbon's speed in getting the information was almost unbelievable.
Lei fell silent and began to observe the office layout.
Whether it's because it's a newly moved office or because the owner is rather casual, the place is clearly not tidy enough to be welcoming to guests. Large bags of cat litter are stacked next to the desk, blocking the bookcase window.
All the places where things could be hidden were clearly visible. Apart from the bookshelves and desk drawers, the only other place was the safe that was blatantly placed next to the sofa.
Like Ms. Iwashita, who casually lets strangers into her office, she has absolutely no sense of vigilance.
Rei Furuya crouched down in front of the safe and observed it carefully for a moment: "We need a password and two keys."
After saying that, he stood up, supporting himself on his knees, and patted his trouser legs: "Of course, it's also possible that the other party just casually slipped the ledger into that book and put it on the bookshelf."
That would be even more troublesome than putting it in a safe.
"If we can't find it in the bookshelf, we'll just go and meet the boss in person." He lowered his head slightly, his eyes clouded, and a hopeful smile appeared on his lips.
After a few days of getting to know each other, Lei had gotten used to the man's sinister face and was no longer surprised by it.
Just then, the office door was pushed open again, and Misato Iwashita's somewhat uneasy voice came from outside.
"Please come in. Would you three like some water?"
The two people in the office frowned and turned around at the same time.
Three young men and women walked into the office; they were clearly not there to see the cats.
The young man who entered first had a flamboyant wolf tail and carried a briefcase. His lazy expression contrasted sharply with the cold and aloof lady behind him.
The young man at the back of the group stood in the office looking just like an investor coming to this cattery.
He nodded politely to Ms. Iwashita Misato: "No need to trouble yourself, we'll just wait here for Mr. Nakabayashi to return."
"Please wait a moment, sir! I'll go call the boss right away!"
After saying that, Misato Iwashita quickly grabbed her phone and went outside.
The young man looked up and then noticed that there were two other people in the office.
One of the familiar faces wore a stiff, unfamiliar, and sinister expression.
He almost pulled his outstretched foot back.
What's going on here?!
Fortunately, the "serious" mask that Inspector Kitagawa wore at work had been welded to his face.
That's how things avoided something irreparable.
Compared to Kitagawa Ryusei, Furuya Rei suffered just as much of a shock.
This was the first time he had seen Kitagawa Ryusei in his working state.
This person is vastly different from the naive young man he was in police academy, or the one who stormed out in a fit of rage not long ago.
It was Kitagawa Ryusei, a stranger with a serious expression.
Taking advantage of the fact that Lei couldn't see him from that angle, Furuya Rei's gaze became increasingly unrestrained.
The gaze made Kitagawa Ryusei's forehead twitch, and he frowned: "Who are you...?"
He forced his gaze away from the blond youth and fixed it on another person.
The man had long hair, a rarity even among women, and wore a knitted hat. He was observing Kitagawa Ryusei as he sized him up.
...This figure, plus the long hair.
Kitagawa Ryusei and Kawashima exchanged a glance, simultaneously understanding the suspicion in each other's eyes.
Meanwhile, Asahina, standing to the side, also abandoned his lazy expression, his eyes gleaming.
The one who answered him was Rei Furuya.
The blond youth stepped forward, his smile bright and sunny, and extended his hand to him: "I'm here to apply for a job at the cattery, Amuro Tooru. This is my roommate who came with me."
Just as Kitagawa Ryusei wanted to take another look, his view was completely blocked.
He looked at Furuya Rei with a puzzled expression, then was speechless at the unprecedented look on the other's face, and reluctantly extended his hand to shake hers: "Kitagawa."
It seems they don't intend to say much more.
Rei Furuya is clearly acting under an unspeakable identity, and he's accompanied by someone who doesn't look like a good person at all.
Perhaps their purpose in being here is the same as yours.
That ledger was the only clue that the assassin named Gin missed after Hosono Seiichiro's death.
Kitagawa Ryusei cannot guarantee that these people are still unaware of this news.
And this man whose appearance is somewhat similar to the sniper from that day… Thinking about it, Kitagawa Ryusei shifted his gaze back again.
After crossing the valley zero, subconsciously assess the danger posed by the other party.
At the same time, the man had also looked at it, and nodded with a nod: "Moroboshi."
Similarly, only the surname was mentioned.
Rei Furuya: "..." I've been ignored.
The smile on his face seemed somewhat fake.
Kitagawa Ryusei keenly sensed that something was wrong with the person in front of him, but he was puzzled and didn't want to pay attention to him.
He hadn't forgotten the man's various misdeeds from a few days ago.
Also, with this level of facial expression control, would it really be okay for her to go undercover?
Kitagawa Ryusei thought to himself.
This is the scene that Morofushi Kagemitsu saw when he walked in.
The entire office looked like a patchwork.
The two teammates standing together reminded him that he was in Scotland; but if you separate the two young men in the middle, the way they stand facing each other reminds him of the police academy; however, Kitagawa Ryusei's attire, along with the two young men beside him, inexplicably reminded him of criminal investigation scenes he had seen before.
The whole world seemed to have been cut into pieces, scattered and fragmented, filling the small office.
Morobuchi Kagemitsu was unsure of his inner feelings, but could only calmly flick the water droplets off his hands.
"Inspector Kitagawa? What are you doing here? Is there a case?" he asked gently, his tone filled with curiosity.
As a witness who had met Kitagawa Ryusei once at the Mihana Hotel, Midorikawa Hikaru knew him.
The words "Police Inspector" made Moroboshi Dai's eyes sharpen, and he raised his eyebrows high: "Whoa."
Could it be that they came to investigate Seiichiro Hosono?
When did Japanese police become so efficient?
“No,” Kitagawa Ryusei replied aloofly, looking away, “It’s just ordinary work.”
It turns out that Kagemitsu Morofushi and Rei Furuya were infiltrating the same organization! And they even had contact!!
Kitagawa Ryusei's pupils dilated in shock, fully experiencing the abstract nature of this world—was it because they were afraid they didn't have enough reasons to be exposed, or that their undercover life wasn't exciting enough?
Before he could finish questioning the two men's bosses and their families in his mind, he heard a scream from outside.
"Ah!!" It was Misato Iwashita.
The people in the office exchanged glances, and Kitagawa Ryusei and his group strode out first.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances during the mission, Ray and his two companions followed.
Behind him, Asahina Yugo suddenly grabbed Kitagawa Ryusei and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear as he turned around, "Kitagawa... this Moroboshi-kun, I feel like I've seen him before."
Kitagawa Ryusei cast a questioning look at him.
He knew these people; the young man wouldn't have said so if he'd only seen them in that blurry photo in the work group chat.
Asahina Yugo scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression: "I've never met him, but I definitely remember him. I must have heard someone mention him."
Thinking that this kid's department would mostly deal with internationally wanted criminals, Kitagawa Ryusei secretly made a mental note of this, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Go see what happened first, we'll talk about the rest when we get back."
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