Chapter 39 The maple leaves this year don't seem red enough...
Accountant Ishimoto's head finally exploded.
This man lingered in his office building for an hour before finally preparing to leave. He walked relaxed alongside Kogoro Mouri, only to be shot in the head by Ray the moment they stepped out of the building, just like the white whale crystal ball that exploded in the office, only the explosion wasn't as romantic.
The difference this time was that the police arrived very quickly.
It's not that the police in Tokyo are particularly diligent; after all, it's the middle of the night, when people are most likely to be sleepy. It's just that the police who arrived weren't from the Metropolitan Police Department, but from the National Police Agency, and the bespectacled man leading them wasn't someone you'd see often.
Anti-fraud expert pulled out his magnifying glass function, and Morobushi Kagemitsu got a clear look at his face.
Ah, it really is Kazami.
[Anti-fraud expert #205: You see, we didn't wrong anyone, it was Bourbon who did it.]
...Alright, thankfully Lei has already left.
So, he was also preparing to run away.
Over the next two days, he would pretend to print out the head office's ledgers and then go to Melo to report on his work.
He didn't think he, an accounting novice, could find any errors in the accounts, and Melo certainly knew this too; the auditing was just an excuse. Just as Zero had analyzed, the real purpose was probably to consult him on how to deal with Rum.
As for the methods, they might not necessarily use the same reason as last time.
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Last time she manipulated Rum using the organization's funding, and now that the action team can't send anyone, is she planning to use this opportunity to unify the country by force?]
[Anti-Fraud King No. 66: The organization's boss is still around, it's unlikely. At most, she'll just cause some trouble for the intelligence network, making Rum make another mistake.]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Rum? Is that the one who draws eyeliner?]
[Anti-fraud expert #214: He doesn't draw... well, we still don't even know what rum looks like, so don't jump to conclusions! #26, what's wrong with you lately? I've just seen you doing something silly these past few days, are you poisoned?]
Isn't it really because of this underlying logic? What kind of virus is so powerful that it can actually infiltrate the anti-fraud system...?
[Commander-in-Chief of the Anti-Fraud Army: The Anti-Fraud System is immune to viruses. The system performs a self-check daily.]
That number 26...
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Oh, I can explain that. #26 used his virtual persona as a guinea pig to test Maple Leaf II for me.]
...
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Don't you remember? I even let Rye cut in line!]
...
At this moment, everyone, whether human, ghost, or spirit, fell silent.
Since he started using group voice chat, his mind has never been so quiet.
The silence was broken when they encountered a red light and Morofushi Kagemitsu took out his phone to send a text message to Mr. Kaneshiro to confirm the details of the hospital visit the next day and to ask him to check on Kogoro Mouri.
[Anti-fraud expert #214: ...Let #205 investigate for you. The information provided by the police isn't as complete as his yet.]
[Anti-fraud expert #11: Just check with #205. Jingguang's intelligence sources need to have traces of police involvement.]
[Anti-fraud expert #19: What about the 26th? Did it get crashed by number 198?]
[Anti-Fraud King No. 198: The Commander-in-Chief took him for a medical check-up; looks like he still doesn't trust my skills.]
...No, I think it's precisely because I trust your skills so much that I took him for a medical check-up.
Morobushi Kagemitsu tapped the 'Clean & Speed Up' and 'Software Check' buttons on his phone several times, still feeling uneasy.
[Anti-fraud expert #214: #198, look what you've done! Nobody's even trying to grab the microphone anymore.]
This is a blessing in disguise.
Morofushi Kagemitsu drove home quite easily and went to catch up on his sleep.
The next day, dressed very casually, he openly visited the hospital, which was full of members of the action team, posing as a Scottish citizen.
As the designated investigator for this incident, he naturally used the pretext of questioning those present about the situation to help the police officer disguised as a nurse collect biometric information from this group of future major criminals.
He had been worried that Gin's heightened vigilance would make it difficult to find an excuse, but he hadn't expected him to still be in the mood to plot with Mello. Since such an opportunity was presented to him, he would feel it would be a waste of the sleep he had sacrificed during this period if he didn't take advantage of it.
Seeing Chianti, who was forced to remove her makeup and was lying in bed with mushrooms growing on her bare face, he kindly comforted her with a word:
“Recently, a member from Kyoto seems to have been in a car accident and needs to be transferred here. See, you still have someone to keep you company.”
Anyway, that person can't wear eyeliner.
Two days later, he found Melo sitting behind a separate desk in the conference room, holding up a small mirror and gesturing to his eyes.
Zhu Fujingguang: ...
"Clatter".
The door closed.
But now he really wants to drive it again.
No sooner had one problem been solved than another arose; Melo was up to his old tricks again.
"ah!"
She seemed startled by the almost imperceptible sound of the door closing, and deliberately dropped the mirror in her hand, shattering it into pieces on the ground.
She bent down to pick it up, but her hand got cut.
Melo looked at the beads of blood that had appeared on her fingers, tilted her head, and eagerly tried to carefully smear the blood onto her lips using the shards of mirror.
Faced with the bizarre, neurotic scene, Morofushi Hiromitsu pretended not to see anything, and sat down one seat away from Mello with the printed ledger in his hand.
"I brought the financial statements, Melo." Like an office worker forced to work overtime every weekend, Morofushi Hiromitsu reported his work listlessly, "This quarter last year, the company's revenue..."
"Where's Ishimoto?" Melo picked up a few pieces of broken glass and put them on his desk to play with, interrupting his report.
I don't know where she got the information from.
"...He was Ray's target." Unable to ascertain the source of the information behind Melo, Morofushi Kagemitsu could only tell the truth, "He's already dead."
Melo picked up one of the lenses and examined it closely, seemingly trying to figure out how it had injured him. Hearing this, while still looking at the lens, he simply said:
"But you were there at the time."
"……yes."
Morofushi Kagemitsu's fingertips grew a little cold as he began to rapidly recall the people who were present that day.
At the time, to minimize the traces he left behind, he and Ray worked together to eliminate all surveillance both inside and outside the television station. If Melo knew this information, it could only have come from someone else.
[Searching for police officers who participated in the investigation that day...]
[Electronic records have not yet been synchronized within the public security system.]
While the anti-fraud team had limited room to maneuver, Melo was quite at ease. She didn't seem to expect to hear any decent explanation from Morofushi Hiromitsu, only saying, "Actually, I don't care about your little tricks, but from the action team almost being wiped out to now directly silencing the scapegoat, it's really hard for me not to overthink things..."
Only then did she look up at Morofushi Kagemitsu, her gaze fixed on his neck, and said:
"Scotland, are you an undercover agent?"
!!
At that moment, Morobushi Kagemitsu felt his heart skip a beat.
No matter how perfectly he disguised himself or how reasonable his excuses were, he couldn't hide the fact that his clandestine actions caused significant damage to the organization in a short period of time.
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Don't panic, she has no evidence. If she really had any incriminating evidence, she wouldn't meet with you alone.]
Killing me requires evidence, but doubting me doesn't.
In an organization, the trust of your immediate supervisor is sometimes very important if you want to climb the corporate ladder.
Morofushi Kagemitsu calmed down and even wondered if he should add another persona to himself.
[Anti-fraud expert #148: She's not some weak, helpless woman; take a look at the glasses in her hand.]
[Anti-fraud expert #205: Confirmed, all cameras in this meeting room are turned off. Things don't seem so simple.]
Morofushi Kagemitsu looked up at Melo and glanced at the lens in her hand. Before entering the conference room, many of his dangerous items had been confiscated, and looking at it this way, it could be considered a weapon.
I don't know if we can extract her biological information.
Zhu Fujingguang's mind flashed through various details about Mello, and he made up his mind. He first asked the Commander-in-Chief to turn off the group voice chat, so that he wouldn't break character later.
He subtly adjusted his posture and flashed his usual smile, but the hint of excitement in his eyes made the expression seem strange.
A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes again, as if he didn't understand why he was being criticized like this, and he asked in return, "Don't you like it?"
Melo gripped the lens tightly, his fingers turning slightly white.
He continued, "I really like seeing them like this, almost broken, but it would be even better if there were more sounds."
He stood up, pushed aside the chair between them, and leaned slightly towards Melo. Ignoring the sharp shard of glass pressed against his neck, he grabbed two or three pieces of glass from the table, then clenched them tightly—
The fragile lens in my palm shattered.
He spread his hands out in front of Melo, unconcerned about the blood and gore on them, and said, "I just wanted to see how sturdy it is. Like this mirror, if it breaks after a couple of drops, then I'll deliver the final blow."
Melo understood what he meant and cupped his face in his hands. The cool lenses against his chin were a unique experience.
She asked, "Kong Jun, is this the true face you've been trying so hard to hide?"
He didn't speak, but he smiled.
Melo said softly, "While people are still on the ship, it's best to avoid doing things that are so uncertain. It's like throwing an egg against a rock; you'll only end up breaking yourself. Don't waste your energy on the wrong thing."
He countered, "Aren't you the same? The person you're trying to get rid of is very important to the organization, isn't he?"
Melo released his grip and said matter-of-factly, "Who told him he wasn't unique and irreplaceable?"
A thought struck him, and then he heard Melo say, "Stop guessing, this time it's not rum, it's brandy."
Seeing a hint of surprise in his eyes, she continued, "He's very influential in politics, has many helpers, and is even more powerful in Kyoto. Don't even think about taking him down. We only need a little bit of his power, that's enough."
"It sounds like a solid alternative," he said.
Melo said, "It's okay to try it out on him."
Morofushi Kagemitsu laughed again.
"But I have to warn you, Brandy really doesn't like you. If you lose, you're on your own." Melo teased, as if just remembering something. "Oh, I forgot, you believe in that electronic god, right? Well, pray to Him before Brandy smashes the altar!"
Judging from his tone, she didn't think he was religious at all. The fact that the rumor that she was a member of the Shoe Cult was so widespread was probably a deliberate ploy by Melo to prevent her from siding with Brandy.
This woman actually set her sights on him so early. It seems all those acts she put on before joining the organization were worthwhile. However, it's a pity that the act just now was merely a carefully crafted image based on her own desires, to help him clear his name and demonstrate his loyalty.
He knew perfectly well which was more important, reputation or life.
Just as Morofushi Kagemitsu was about to find an excuse to leave, he heard Mello looking out the window and muttering to himself:
"The maple leaves in Kyoto don't seem to be red enough this year..."
"Then let's stain it red with blood."
...
...
...
Morobuchi Kagemitsu swore that he had just said that offhand.
There's no way around it; the atmosphere is just right, and it would seem pretentious not to say something.
However, he still wanted to say that direction wasn't towards Kyoto...
-----------------------
The author's note: Question: What should I do if my boss is a lunatic?
A: He acted as if his condition was more serious than she was.
by "Scotland's Wisdom for Workplace Life"
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