Who is number 234 in Chapter 61?
Zhu Fujingguang arrived at the Xuelin Cafe, which was under the surveillance of the police, right on the hour.
The anti-fraud expert reminded him that Egawa Yuki was sitting by the window watching him.
Based on his intuition, he smiled slightly at her and quickened his pace to walk into the room.
The coffee shop was well-heated, keeping out the chill from outside. The first image that formed in his mind was of Egawa Yukiko's current situation: her coat was hanging on the back of the chair, a stack of newspapers was on the table, the table number 234 was on top, and the headline was about the great magician Kuroba Toichi's upcoming world tour.
She has been here for some time.
Morofushi Kagemitsu made his judgment and continued to focus on dealing with the upcoming scenes and conversations.
After he simply ordered a black coffee, Egawa Yukie initiated the conversation:
“Mr. Asakawa, I think you agreed to meet me not to tell me about that card fraud case from before.”
Seeing that Egawa Yuki was speaking frankly from the start, Morofushi Kagemitsu decided to try a more evasive approach first, hoping to elicit her anxiety. So he said, "I don't quite understand what you mean, Ms. Egawa. That fraud case, didn't the police already solve it?" As he spoke, he pointed to the newspaper next to him and said, "That's the headline on this page."
Egawa Yuki looked him straight in the eye and said, "Mr. Asakawa, you don't need to use this as a cover. I already know that Seida Company is actually connected with a criminal organization."
[Anti-fraud expert #26: ...As expected, she noticed.]
Morofushi Kagemitsu feigned surprise and said, "You can't just say things like that. If you talk like that, our legal department will be in a lot of trouble. Aren't you someone sent by Yongde Company? We've encountered this kind of competitive tactic before."
Seeing that he was still beating around the bush, Jiang Chuan Xuezhi's tone became somewhat urgent. She deliberately lowered her voice and said, "Didn't your superiors get annoyed when you deliberately disguised yourself to cooperate with the police that day?"
...Was that woman looking at me through the glass just now to check my figure?
However, simply discovering he was with the police wasn't enough to expose his identity; he had plenty of excuses to use. Let's see what her purpose is.
“Ms. Jiang Chuan, I think you’ve misunderstood something.” Zhu Fujingguang said without changing his expression. “We first met at the company, cooperating with the police and stuff… Ah, I remember now, I was accidentally involved in a murder case at a restaurant a few days ago, and I did cooperate with the two police officers present to solve the case.”
She happened to know Matsuda and Hagiwara, so she could ask them to verify the story and make the lie work.
Egawa Yukie continued, "Mr. Asakawa is also a detective, isn't he? Doesn't your boss, Ms. Sekiya, mind that?"
A detective… Ah, that's the part-time job Hagiwara filled out for herself that day. She brought it up specifically; doesn't that mean she suspects I'm a member of the organization?
He continued, "She's very forgiving as long as I do my job well. I really like Sherlock Holmes, so I'd like to try being a detective myself, but unfortunately, I don't think I'm good enough at it yet."
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Ah...]
Jiang Chuan Xuezhi suddenly smiled and said, "When I first risked my life to investigate that organization and was suspected of my identity by someone, I also used this excuse."
Um?
It seems things aren't as I thought. She suspects I joined the company to investigate the truth behind something.
"...I'm kind of a director's assistant, and the salary is quite good." Morofushi Hiromitsu took a step back, giving her a reason to continue. "Investigations and such don't require the same effort I put into climbing the ladder. I'm quite satisfied with my current job."
"As far as I know, you've only been working for Miss Guan Gu for less than six months." Jiang Chuan Xuezhi's tone softened slightly, and Asakawa's performance convinced her of her judgment. "I've heard there are a lot of absurd rumors about you in the company? How could someone who values their job opportunity let rumors spread without clarifying them?"
'With your current reputation, who would suspect you're an undercover agent?'
Zhu Fujingguang: ...
Number 148, come out here.
However, the usually noisy anti-fraud officer was unusually quiet at this moment.
Just then, his coffee arrived.
It's alright, it doesn't matter if these secret-hunting clowns are gone, anyway, I've already figured out how deep Jiangchuan Xuezhi is.
Morofushi Kagemitsu confirmed the location of the coffee in his mind, slowly picked up the cup, took a sip, and then silently withdrew his tongue, which had been burned by the high temperature. After a moment, he said casually, "Ms. Jiangchuan, with your ability and perseverance, you will succeed in whatever you do."
Although it didn't give a direct affirmation, it was a tacit response to Egawa Yukie's speculation.
She understood what he meant and smiled with relief, as if she had found an ally.
Seeing that the other party had lowered their guard, Morofushi Kagemitsu asked, "Then, what is Ms. Jiang Chuan's motive? You have been investigating the company and have dealings with the police. Since you know that the company has other means to deal with you, why take the risk?"
Egawa Yuki's gaze softened: "For a promise to someone."
An agreement? Could it be that she has someone backing her up?
Morofushi Kagemitsu gave her a gentle smile, encouraging her to continue.
“That guy is very caring, but he’s a bit slow and naive. He always has a strong sense of justice and courage.” Jiang Chuan Xuezhi’s answer was quite unexpected to him. “He is my childhood friend and a policeman.”
So they're in the same industry, but judging from her tone...
“He died in the line of duty two years ago.” Egawa Yukiko lowered her eyes, as if trying to hide the sadness in them. “Senior Morioka of the First Investigation Division said that he died in a gang fight while on patrol. But I feel that there is more to it than meets the eye, because he once mentioned to me that he was going to report some clues about arms smuggling. But just two days later, the news of his death came. It’s too much of a coincidence.”
Two years ago, the Metropolitan Police Department had many informants planted by various organizations, so it's quite possible that he was silenced because he discovered something he shouldn't have.
Morofushi Kagemitsu's mood also turned somewhat heavy as he asked, "So you went to investigate that yakuza?"
Jiang Chuan Xuezhi sighed, "When I was about to investigate them, that gang had already been wiped out by their rival forces. I've been trying to find the real culprit and get justice all these years, but starting an investigation is an even more difficult thing."
Thankfully, I was a step too slow, otherwise you would have been the next one to be silenced. However, this kind of underhanded approach doesn't seem like Gin's style; it's more like Rum or Brandy's.
This is even more dangerous. If it comes to playing mind games, Miss Jiang Chuan is no match for those people.
Morofushi Kagemitsu understood that she was obsessed with pursuing the Black Organization and that she was straightforward. Rather than letting her wander on her own, it was better to tell her about the complexities of the organization and give her a relatively safer route for investigation.
He thought for a moment and said, "Now that Miss Jiang Chuan has some understanding of the organization, I hope you can keep a little low profile in your future actions. Otherwise, it might alert some of the more perceptive members of the organization, and then it might not just be you who is in danger."
Jiang Chuan Xuezhi opened her mouth and nodded slightly.
He continued, “I infiltrated the organization… also for someone.” Here he embellished the story of his childhood friend, “but it’s still far from the truth I want to find out… as you might think, we can perhaps cooperate.”
Jiang Chuanxue finally smiled and said, "To receive such a reply is exactly what I wanted."
Morofushi Kagemitsu used this opportunity to draw a safety line for her: "There is no guarantee that our meeting today will not be known to others, so I hope that Ms. Jiangchuan will not show too much hostility towards the company and the organization, otherwise I will not be able to explain myself."
“Okay.” Egawa Yukichi naturally didn’t want to implicate Mr. Asakawa in front of her.
“If you’re interested, you can come to me if you want to do any investigations or take any action in the future,” said Morofushi Hiromitsu. “I have a good understanding of the organization’s internal workings, which will allow me to help you obtain more accurate and secure information.”
Egawa Yukichi naturally wouldn't refuse; her purpose in seeking allies was to expedite the investigation, so she agreed.
“This is my other number.” Morofushi Hiromitsu gave her the same contact information as Ethan Hondou, so that the Anti-Fraud Center could cover up his undercover police officer identity. He even made a little joke, never forgetting to squander the organization’s assets, “Maybe next time we can meet, we can arrange to meet at a fancy restaurant under the guise of bribing a reporter. We can take advantage of that occasionally.”
Jiang Chuan Xuezhi accepted the gift, and hearing him mention the upscale restaurant reminded her of something. However, this time her tone carried a hint of nostalgia: "Actually, the first time I met Mr. Asakawa wasn't on the street, but at Rodney Restaurant. You were looking at that painting on the wall, and it looked a lot like him."
Morofushi Kagemitsu also recalled the situation at that time, never expecting that so many eyes were watching him in the dark.
“The last time I saw him was there.” Jiang Chuan Xuezhi’s tone became low. “He made a lot of preparations, thinking I didn’t know, and was preparing to give me a surprise. I was still happy to cooperate with him, but I didn’t expect that a patrol call would call him away.”
"...I'm sorry." That was all Morofushi Kagemitsu could say.
Jiang Chuan Xuezhi shook her head and said, "It's what I wanted to bring up. Memories always get to me. Sometimes I can't tell if it's fate's arrangement. That day you helped me get my bag back, and I even mistook your voice for his."
Morofushi Kagemitsu's heart stirred. He touched the warm coffee cup with his fingers and said, "If fate really exists, perhaps this is your accidental reunion."
[...]
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Jingguang, have you guessed it yet?]
What did you guess? Was it the story of number 26, or the little secret between number 66 and number 19?
After watching Egawa Yukichi leave the coffee shop, Morofushi Kagemitsu relaxed for a moment, but then felt mentally exhausted.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #148: Um, actually...]
Shh, some things are better left unsaid.
Morofushi Kagemitsu picked up the table card marked 234 and smiled slightly.
Fate.
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Author's note: Our anti-fraud hero is not just a simple electronic being.
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