Asi Hell

Capítulo 18

If things continue like this, Lai Zihui will...

"Kanako is being put into the box now, Officer, is that what you just said?"

"Huh? Uh, yes, that's right."

Is Jia Cai Zi still alive?

"You really don't know? Didn't your family tell you?"

This policeman is indeed a dog, so stupid. I should just despise him, Lai Zi thought.

"Hmm, I thought he should still be alive. I didn't expect the surgery to fail. Besides, if he were already dead, there wouldn't have been a kidnapping—"

"Kidnapping?"

"Ah, about this..."

In short, it seems that he is still alive.

This is too tragic. If things continue like this, Lai Zi's future will be a complete mess. It would be better if he didn't have an afterlife.

"I want to see her! I want to see her! Please take me to see Kanako!"

"Huh? But, this—"

"Kanako was pushed down, pushed down by the man in black! I know the truth. But I couldn't remember it until today. It's true, it's true! If Kanako is still alive, I must see her, please. Shut down that detective."

If it's a lumberyard, they should be able to help.

Even if Kanako is still alive, she's definitely no longer at that hospital in Mitaka. But for Raiko, who doesn't even know where Kanako's house is, she can only rely on the police now. If this dog is useless, then it'll be Kiba's turn. The box? What does he mean by putting it in a box?

Upon hearing Raiko mention the timber yard, Fukumoto frowned and pondered for a moment. He then asked Raiko again if what she said was true before making a phone call. Raiko felt she shouldn't listen to the conversation and tried to distract herself with other matters at the prison.

Then the foreign music started playing like tinnitus inside the eardrum, and in Lai Zi's eyes, Fukumoto's mouth was opening and closing like a machine.

The dog put down the microphone, looked at the ceiling for a moment, then suddenly, as if having an attack, immediately picked it up again. The amorphous imagery of the music that had dominated Lai Zi's eardrums gradually faded, and the dog's barking returned to human speech.

“But even if you say so. Yes, so what should I do then—no, no. But since it could be a murder case, no, an attempted murder case, yes, attempted murder. If her testimony is true—umm, so, umm.”

"So, what should I do?"

"Seriously—these guys—it seems like if they contacted Kanagawa headquarters directly, they'd definitely be punished or dismissed."

After Fukumoto finished speaking, he put the receiver back, and it seemed that the call had been hung up on.

Fukumoto stared at Raiko with his small, dark eyes.

At this moment, Lai Zi probably knows what kind of image he has in the eyes of the other party.

Even if it's not that sad, even if it hasn't been that difficult, it can still make people believe they are incredibly sad and heartbroken. Most people will believe it if they shed a few tears.

This trick only doesn't work on classmates of the same age.

Will it be able to fool those dog eyes?

As expected—Fukumoto looked worried about Raiko.

"Little sister, listen to me. Yuzuki Kanako is still alive, but some bad guys are trying to harm her. The police have deployed a large number of officers to protect her closely, so they don't seem to have the time or energy to deal with this. However, if the man in black you mentioned is indeed the one who pushed Kanako, I believe he's definitely related to the current incident. But neither the police station nor this court can help you, since we're in different jurisdictions and can't let you see her. What's certain is that Kanako is still alive. But since the incident happened in our jurisdiction, the Koganei Police Station is handling the investigation. So, little sister Yuzuko—you're right, aren't you? Do you understand what I just said?"

"Can't I see Kanako? Why can't I see her? I don't know what jurisdiction she's in, but... but..."

Try crying in front of him.

"Alright, alright, listen to me, little Lai... Lai Zi. Hmm, what should we do..."

"It's so effective," Fukumoto Akiko said, looking quite troubled.

"Mr. Muji—what would that person do?"

After Fukumoto finished speaking, he glanced at Raiko, seemingly seeking her opinion. Raiko found it ridiculous that an elderly policeman was asking a crying fourteen-year-old girl for her opinion.

Fukumoto paced restlessly back and forth in the cramped police station, like a bear in a zoo. Soon after, another policeman returned on a bicycle; it was the same officer who had visited Lai Zi's house.

Fukumoto saw his colleague immediately grab him and discuss something. Another policeman looked at Raiko and Fukumoto's faces with great surprise.

"But if you do that,"

He said:

"I'm sure I'll get yelled at. No, I mean Fukumoto, you might get fired this time. You know that yourself, don't you?"

"But we can't just leave it like this. Look how pitifully she's crying, so worried about her friend. This is a murder case."

"Even so, why not just hand it over to our department's criminal investigation team for investigation?"

"I feel there must be a connection between the two; this is very important information. However, Kanagawa and we have a strange territorial relationship, and who knows when we'll be able to properly explain it to them! So—"

"Go ahead and do it, I don't care anymore. I'll pretend I didn't hear it."

As the policeman spoke, he tapped his shoulder with his baton.

Fukumoto turned around energetically and said:

“I’ll take you to see her, Little Sister Lai.”

"I'll take you to see Kanako. Kanako is with Detective Kiba right now—you remember him? The detective you just mentioned, he should be with Kanako now. Mr. Kiba will definitely know us—"

Is that person with Kanako now?

"I did nothing wrong, this was the right thing to do."

Fukumoto spoke with a pleased expression, as if hypnotizing himself.

Is Detective Kiba really dating Kanako?

Is that person protecting Kanako?

"I believe in Mr. Kiba."

Fukumoto seemed to be saying something.

But his words could no longer reach Lai Zi's ears.

"Mr. Kiba will surely understand us."

Kiba —

Detective Kiba —

"Kiba! Shutaro Kiba!"

It's barking again.

Kiba raised his face in annoyance.

What's this time? Has the main office summoned us? If so—

This might be an ultimatum.

Kiba had been ignoring orders and acting alone for almost a week, and he sensed that his recent reckless behavior was nearing its end. Taking down criminals or protecting VIPs wasn't his job; he wasn't part of the Public Security Bureau or the Crime Prevention Division. Murder cases were his area of expertise—he used to convince himself of this, but after hearing about the recent dismemberment murder, those excuses no longer held water. However, the dismemberment occurred in Kanagawa Prefecture, naturally falling under the jurisdiction of the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters, and it wasn't his place as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to handle it.

Ah, isn't this a self-contradiction?

Kiba is currently located in Kanagawa Prefecture, not Tokyo, and the security work related to the kidnapping announcement is not Kiba's responsibility.

—Aoki must be very angry.

The one who should actually be angry is their superior, Oshima; the mild-mannered Aoki wouldn't really lose his temper. Kiba already knew all this, but at this moment, Aoki was still the first person Kiba thought of.

Kiba began to consider what to do after resigning from his police job. What could he do? Was he not suited to working in an organization? And what exactly was this so-called organization?

There are patrol officers, patrol chiefs, police inspectors, police assistants, police inspectors, police superintendents, police superintendents, police superintendents, police superintendents... The hierarchy is as clear as the military, yet it is still hard to accept and feels illogical.

Is this what they call democracy? Kiba thought so because he felt that after the occupation ended, the organization seemed to have expanded and then collapsed all at once.

If this were the military—

Kiba, who disregarded orders and acted arbitrarily, would surely be put in solitary confinement. No, disregarding headquarters' orders would likely result in the worst possible outcome—even death.

However, Kiba is currently allowed to act freely and without any serious punishment. Although there should be some disciplinary action soon, it will at most be a reprimand or dismissal; there will be no more severe punishment, and death is absolutely out of the question. If he only receives a paltry punishment such as a pay cut or a reprimand, Kiba plans to simply resign.

Even if he quits his job as a policeman, Kiba doesn't know what other job to look for.

In short, since there will be punishment, Kiba hopes it will be done quickly and decisively. The police force is such a loose organization; it would be better if such an organization didn't exist.

That said, Kiba didn't actually know much about the details of the police force. The police organization is extremely complex and constantly evolving. Shortly after Kiba became a police officer, a new Police Law was enacted, and it underwent revisions last year; each change in the system resulted in a corresponding change in the organization. After last year's revision, except for some areas, the police forces belonging to local governments came under the jurisdiction of the National Police, resulting in a large-scale organizational consolidation. However, with the signing of the agreement (note), the Police Law will soon experience further fluctuations.

Kiba didn't think it was a pointless exercise, but the constantly changing laws were truly bewildering. Why waste so much effort on things no one understood? Besides, the current name was something like the National Local Police Headquarters of a Certain Prefecture, which seemed impressive on the surface, but at its core it was just a collection of city, town, and village police. Even if the name changed and the higher-ups changed their jurisdiction, it was useless if the composition remained the same. The organization was still filled with territorialism, and there was no sense of shared destiny among the members. Thinking about all this, Kiba couldn't help but feel melancholy.

Since they care so much about each other's territory, they should have more clearly defined the division of internal authority. They couldn't even punish a rebel fairly, only caring about saving face and trying to cover up the truth.

Thinking of this, Kiba suddenly noticed something.

—Ah, isn't this just like me?

It's empty inside, only its exterior is solid, like an empty candy box.

I couldn't help but find it laughable.

"Kiba! Since you're here, respond sooner rather than later. Unlike you, I'm very busy."

A police inspector from the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters of the National Police Agency stood beside the incinerator, veins bulging on his forehead. Kiba knew perfectly well that while he claimed to be busy, he was really just loitering around that area all day. This was what they called security.

"Anyway, I'm an uninvited guest, so I'm deliberately hiding so as not to get in your way."

Kiba stood up reluctantly.

The inspector, however, reacted with disgust, as if he had seen something filthy:

"Why do you come here every day? Just to take a nap? The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is such an easy job. It's a pity our jurisdiction isn't that relaxed. I wish I had several bodies I could use right now."

"Then why not delegate such an easy task to your subordinates and go take care of more important matters? I heard there was a dismemberment case recently, so they must be short-handed over there."

"Murder cases aren't my area of expertise. That's your specialty, isn't it? I just heard the higher-ups complaining about requesting support from headquarters, but the few who came were all show and no substance. Shouldn't a tough detective like you be handling brutal murder cases?"

"Ha! You've been talking nonsense, but in the end you still long for this easy job, right? Even if you had several bodies, I bet you'd only choose the easy ones! But that's fine, a spineless coward like you going to a murder scene—you'd only cause trouble."

The inspector glared at Kiba with such rage that the veins on his forehead seemed about to burst. He was incredibly thin, looking every bit the bureaucrat sitting at his desk. Standing next to Kiba, it was hard to believe they were both police officers; he'd probably faint from anemia at any crime scene. Imagining that, Kiba couldn't help but smile.

"Hmph, hmph! Kiba, you can say these outrageous things now. Anyway, I've already lodged a strong protest with the Metropolitan Police Department, and the punishment will be handed down soon."

“Of course. I ignored orders from my superiors, and disobeying orders is a violation of the police officer service procedure. I will accept whatever punishment the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department decides to impose on me. But I don’t think I’ve caused you any trouble. I’m not just sitting here quietly, am I? There’s no reason for you to protest, is there?”

"Your presence will cause chaos in the administration! In short, whatever happens, it's all your fault!"

The inspector screamed hysterically in a shrill voice.

When something goes wrong, why should the responsibility be shifted to someone who did nothing?