The Tokyo Police Journey Begins with the Ability to See Evil Thoughts

Chapter 57

The following afternoon, in the ward.

"No one has found the foreign prisoner in those mountains. The police department has withdrawn its forces, and only the police station is still searching."

Muheyou had just returned when she said this with a worried expression.

Kamiya Gen was eating an apple and watching TV, not paying attention to her expression, and casually said, "There's nothing wrong with that, is there? There are so many cases to handle every day. Instead of spending energy searching for someone, it's better to spend more time on other things."

"So he got away... and you took that shot for nothing," Muheyou said, frowning.

Kamiya Gen glanced at her and said, "It wasn't all for nothing, you rescued a hostage, right? Although the hostage didn't say thank you or anything, you should really thank me. If it weren't for my help..."

"If you hadn't insisted on being so stubborn, I should have already caught him."

Muheyou interrupted, saying that she hadn't brought it up before because Kamiya Gen was seriously injured, but now that he was recovering well, she was ready to settle old scores again.

The main issue was that she was rebuffed at the police station; no one agreed to her request to continue searching the mountains.

Furthermore, to prevent her from conducting the search on her own, Inspector Sakamoto cited the "Regulations on the Use and Management of Firearms by Police Officers" and confiscated Yuzuki's service weapon.

This rule essentially requires officers to surrender their service weapons at the end of their daily duties or during weapon maintenance periods.

Although it's called a rule, the police department has never been strict about it in the past, especially the criminal investigation officers who rarely surrender their service weapons. Since he started working, Muhe You has almost never been without a pistol on his waist.

In short, she now has no decent self-defense weapon except for a collapsible baton.

"If I hadn't been so stubborn, you might not have been able to sit here and chat with me properly at all," Kamiya Gen said.

"Let's search that area again. If we encounter any criminals, I'll handle it..."

"I'm not going."

Kamiya Gen said speechlessly, then lay down and covered half of his face with the blanket.

How could he possibly agree to such a thing? Putting aside whether he could even catch criminals in his current state, even if he could, Kamiya Gen would not go.

Muheyou reached out and tugged at his blanket, but seeing Kamiya Gen's stubborn expression, she finally sighed.

"Forget about that. Tell me, did anything else happen at the police station today?" Kamiya Gen asked.

He knew Muheyou was unhappy, but he couldn't possibly agree to her request. He might as well find some topics she liked to talk about—the top priority was definitely to ask her about the cases at the police station.

"Nothing much. I checked the cases in the system these past two days, and aside from some fights, it's mostly theft..."

As Muheyou spoke, she seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly said, "By the way, there's a case that's quite interesting. Although it was assigned to the envoy, I plan to go and take a look after I've finished taking care of you."

Kamiya Gen moved back to lean against the headboard and asked, "What kind of case?"

He stopped saying things like, "You're on vacation right now, and you've been assigned to other duties, why are you bothering with this?" because that's just his personality; he'd love to spend all his time investigating cases.

"An elderly man in the Songtao 2-chome area reported that his pet cats and dogs had been mysteriously disappearing recently. He had wondered if they were lost, but a few days ago he found bloodstains on the ground and reported the incident this morning," said Muheyou.

Do you keep many cats and dogs?

"She was an elderly woman in her seventies who lived alone. She took in quite a few stray cats and dogs, probably dozens."

"Going to pet a cat would be quite nice."

As Kamiya Gen spoke, she thought to herself that she should be doing these things, instead of thinking about how dangerous it is to run into the mountains to search for criminals all day long.

"Want to come along? It's still early. If the cats and dogs died because of some kind of bird of prey, you still have a gun on you, it's a last resort. If you can't aim properly because of your injury, you can let me hold it for now..."

Kamiya Gen quickly turned over and lay down. Putting aside his laziness, who would hand over their sidearm to someone else?

If the police find out about this, at the very least, he'll be reprimanded, have his salary reduced for three months, and be suspended for six months; in more serious cases, he'll be demoted or dismissed... If something serious happens to the gun in Muheyou's hands, he might even end up in jail.

He glanced at Mu Heyou's waist, instantly guessing the situation, and asked:

"You didn't get your service weapon confiscated by Inspector Sakamoto after you strongly requested permission to search for that foreign prisoner in the mountains, and you're now trying to trick me into giving you one?"

"..."

Silence was the answer.

"It really is!?" Kamiya Gen exclaimed in shock.

This woman is really daring to do something like this. What is her brain made of?

"I didn't... I was just asking, if you don't agree, that's fine."

"This is against the rules. You keep telling me about police regulations, but you're always thinking about what's wrong with breaking the rules yourself?"

"I don't need to use my gun to arrest criminals; it's just a deterrent. Okay, let's not go into the mountains anymore. How about we investigate this cat and dog case instead?"

After hesitating for a while, Kamiya Gen finally agreed.

It's best to find her something to do, otherwise this crazy girl might keep trying to trick me into leaving with my gun...

The two tidied themselves up before leaving the hospital.

The distance from here to Matsutō 2-chome isn't too far, only about ten minutes, and we arrived at our destination—even though Kamiya Gen had a shoulder injury and was walking rather slowly.

The Songtao area is almost entirely made up of low-rise wooden detached houses, each surrounded by a wooden fence. Following the address, Muheyou stopped in front of a faded off-white fence gate with a wooden sign that read "Kurokawa" on it.

"This should be it."

Muheyou knocked on the fence gate, and the sounds of many animals came from inside the yard.

A short while later, an elderly man with gray hair and a hunched back came out leaning on a cane.

The old man, dressed in a faded navy blue kimono, brightened up when he saw the police badge that Muheyou had taken out.

"You must be the police?"

The old man, his voice hoarse, quickly opened the gate. "Come in quickly, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The courtyard was small but clean. Several simple wooden huts stood against the wall, old carpets were laid on the ground, and several porcelain bowls, most of which were empty, were placed nearby.

A dozen or so thin cats and dogs surrounded the old man's feet, their eyes filled with vigilance and unease.

"My name is Kurokawa Chiyo, and I've lived here for almost forty years."

The old man pulled Muheyou by the hand and ushered her into the house. He then looked at Kamiya Gen and noticed the gun at his waist and his hunched back. He quickly asked, "Are you injured? Please sit down, I'll go pour you some tea."

Kamiya Gen waved his hand, sat down on the wooden bench in the yard, and glanced at the corner before settling on the small animals.

"Ms. Kurokawa, please hold on a moment. Tell me about the missing cats and dogs. When did it start, and how many have gone missing?"

Kurokawa Chiyo's eyes reddened as she sat opposite the two, wiping away her tears: "It started about two weeks ago. At first, two kittens went missing, but I thought they had just run away and didn't pay much attention."

"Later, more and more dogs went missing, two or three a day, and that's when I started to panic." The old man's voice choked with emotion. "A few days ago, in the early morning, I heard a noise in the yard. When I got up, I saw a dark figure running out from the corner of the wall. There was a pool of blood and a few dog hairs on the ground. The puppy was never found again."

Muheyou crouched down to examine the bloodstains, rummaged through the grass, and found a few remaining hairs.

"Ms. Kurokawa, did you get a clear look at the shadowy figure? Was there any distinctive feature in its height, clothing, or anything else?"

Chiyo Kurokawa frowned and recalled for a moment, then shook her head: "It was too dark that night. I only saw a blurry black figure. It wasn't tall, it was wearing dark clothes, and it was running very fast. There was also a strange smell, like disinfectant mixed with gasoline."

Kamiya Gen tapped his knee with his fingers as he pondered.

The residents of Matsutō 2-chome are mostly long-time residents, so strangers are easily noticed. The distinctive scent of the shadowy figure suggests it might be a nearby business owner or a visitor.

The cats and dogs in the yard are all small to medium-sized, which means they were obviously taken away or harmed by people with premeditation.

"Have you offended anyone? Have you seen any strangers loitering around lately? For example, young people you don't know, or people carrying tools?" Kamiya Gen asked.

Chiyo Kurokawa shook her head, looking bewildered. "I'm an old woman who never argues with anyone. I get along well with my neighbors, and there's no construction going on around here. But a few days ago, in the afternoon, a young man in a black jacket stood outside the gate for a long time watching the cats and dogs. I called out to him, and he left. I didn't get a good look at his face."

Muheyou took out her notebook and made notes. She then searched the yard again but found no other clues.

"Ms. Kurokawa, please rest assured, we will definitely investigate the matter thoroughly. Please do not let the cats and dogs out of the yard in the future, and lock the gate at night. If there is anything unusual, please call us immediately."

Kurokawa Chiyo nodded, holding Kihara Yuzu's hand and thanking her repeatedly:

"Thank you so much. These cats and dogs are like my children. I really don't know what to do if we can't find the killer."

"Ms. Kurokawa, do you usually live here alone? The yard is so well-maintained, your children must often come to help out, right?" Muheyou asked.

Upon hearing this, Kurokawa Chiyo's expression softened, but a hint of melancholy also appeared. She gently shook her head and reached out to stroke the kitten curled up at her feet.

"I have two sons, neither of whom live in Shibuya. One is in Osaka and teaches, while the other works in Saitama Prefecture. They are both busy with their own things on weekdays."

"They are filial; they send me money and call me every month, and they come back to visit me during holidays, but they only stay for a few days before leaving again."

The old man's voice was soft, tinged with a hint of helplessness, "They always advise me to move in with them so that they can take care of me, but I'm used to living here and I can't bear to leave."

Muheyou put down her pen and asked softly, "You've lived here for so long, what did you do for a living before? Taking care of so many stray cats and dogs must have been quite expensive."

When her past work was mentioned, Kurokawa Chiyo's cloudy eyes lit up, and her tone became lighter:

"I used to be a teacher at Sakuragaoka Elementary School nearby, teaching Japanese. I taught for 35 years until I retired at the age of 57."

"After retiring, I live on my pension, and the money my children send me is all spent on raising these animals. I'm a bit strapped for cash and currently owe some money..."

She paused, then looked at the little dog beside her, her voice gentle, "These stray cats and dogs, I picked them up little by little after I retired. Seeing how thin and homeless they were, I couldn't bear to abandon them..."

The old woman never stopped talking, so Kamiya Gen told Kiha Yuzu to continue sitting and chatting with her while he went to the side to check on the situation.

After a while, Mu Heyou caught up and asked in a low voice, "What do you think?"

"Maybe her son felt that his mother was spending money on such meaningless things all day, so he hired someone or prepared to kill these stray cats and dogs little by little, either himself or as a child. Didn't she say that she was in debt because of keeping these animals? It's normal that her family doesn't agree."

Kamiya Gen, certain that the old man probably couldn't understand, spoke up.

"This...no way?"

"It's just speculation," Kamiya Gen said. "Don't worry about it. Her son lives far away, doesn't he? If she wanted to kill these cats and dogs, one dose would have been enough. There's no need to keep coming to Shibuya."

"Then why did you suddenly come up with such a dark tone..." Muheyou retorted.

"What do you think?" Kamiya Gen asked in return.

She was the one who kept asking herself, "What kind of partner is this?"

"The biggest suspect is probably the neighbors. Maybe they've been unhappy about her keeping so many cats and dogs here for a while now. And March is the mating season for animals, so it will definitely be noisy. So someone comes to kill the animals every day. We have to question each household one by one."

"It's very realistic," Kamiya Gen nodded.

"Shall we go together?"

"You weren't just out for a stroll, were you? If you keep asking from house to house, how long will it take? Why don't you contact Ohno Satoshi? Isn't this case handled by the handover team? I'm injured right now, and doing too much won't be good for my health."

Kamiya Gen didn't want to agree, although he felt that if he took action, he could close the case quickly.

It's very simple. Just open the system, look at each household one by one, and find out who has the corresponding evil thought above their head.

But this matter is just too troublesome.

I was originally planning to come and pet some cats, but after seeing those ugly little kittens, I immediately lost that interest.

"Alright."

Muheyou whispered, then tugged at Kamiya Gen's collar, turned to look, and after confirming that the old man wasn't looking their way, continued.

"I just asked her, and she's in debt for these cats and dogs, now she owes over 300,000 yen. I have some spare money this month and I'm thinking of finding a way to give it to her. What do you think is the best way to do this without hurting the old lady's pride..."

Kamiya Gen was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself that the person next to him was also a poor person in need of assistance.

He still hasn't paid off his student loans from university. 300,000 yen won't put out the fire, but it will quench his thirst.

But it was just a thought; Kamiya Gen said aloud:

"Why don't you give her a Good Citizen Award in your own name? If it doesn't go through the police department, who cares whether it's true or not? Anyway, you're paying for it yourself."

He wanted to see if Muheyou would really agree.

Unexpectedly, the latter smiled and was clearly satisfied with the answer.

"Good idea. Kamiya-kun is actually a very kind person."