Chapter 110 - Name and Reality 33 {Combined 60/61} (139-141, 142-143: First Confrontation with Isaka Masamitsu; Unexpected Call from Doho Reporter Igarashi)
While thinking about such things, Section 1 Head Mitani called out to Nishida, who was receiving and summarizing reports on the investigation status at his desk.
"Nishida! Senior Staff Takada from Division 2 told me there's something strange among the items seized from Isaka Masamitsu's place. I checked it, and it seems to be an old document, gold dust, and a bundle of cash. I thought it might be that gold dust and the deed (T/N: Shoumon—contract/deed) we've heard about. Go and check it with your own eyes!"
"Eh?"
At the unexpected words, Nishida stood up and rushed to Mitani to confirm.
"I'm telling you, it's a deed, gold dust, and a bundle of cash! They asked forensics for a component analysis, and the results apparently came back just now saying it's definitely gold. In the Sada Minoru case, gold dust was involved, right? I thought it might be related."
Before Mitani could finish speaking, Nishida had already dashed toward the Investigation Division 2 room.
As soon as he entered the room, he looked for Senior Staff Takada, who called out from the back.
"Assistant Section Chief Nishida! Over here, over here!"
When Nishida stood before Takada's desk, he immediately showed him the seized items. Nishida first read the deed as if devouring it, then checked the gold dust.
The cash was four bundles with Hokuo Bank bands. That meant four million yen, and moreover, they were all Shotoku Taishi ten-thousand-yen bills. Since they weren't Fukuzawa Yukichi bills, it was thought they had been withdrawn quite a long time ago. As for the deed, he didn't know if it was something Isaka Daikichi had kept himself, or if it was the fake deed created by Sada that he had received from Sada Minoru in exchange for the funding contract. This would have to be checked by forensics to see if the blood seal (T/N: Keppan) was real using the luminol reaction.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? It's been nearly a week since the raid!"
As soon as he finished checking, Nishida suddenly voiced a complaint to Takada.
"Well, I'm sorry... We were so focused on finding evidence related to a crime that it seems a junior officer accidentally left it somewhere else until yesterday..." Takada made an excuse. However,
"I get it. That doesn't matter! You seized this from Isaka's house, right? Where, specifically!" This time, Nishida pressed him as if about to pounce.
"W-Wait a moment. Uh... hey, Arimura!" Flustered, Takada called a young detective named Arimura.
"Where was this?" Takada confirmed as soon as Arimura arrived.
"Yes. Uh, it was in Isaka's study on the second floor of the Isaka house, I believe. There was a small drawer in a bookshelf that held documents and such, and inside were the paper, gold dust wrapped in something like medicinal paper, and four bundles... I thought it was unrelated, but just in case..."
At this moment, Nishida felt ashamed of himself for letting his emotions get the better of him and blaming Takada. Since they had requested cooperation from Division 2—and even from their own Investigation Division 1—without fully opening up the investigation information, it was natural that they wouldn't place importance on deeds or gold dust.
Rather, he should have been sufficiently grateful for the coincidence that a young detective named Arimura had seized items that seemed to have no relation. Having come to his senses, Nishida apologized sincerely.
"Sorry... Actually, except for the cash, these might become important evidence. That's why I inadvertently got excited. My bad."
"Ah, so that's what it was," Takada immediately accepted the apology.
"You were the one who seized it, right?" Nishida reconfirmed with Arimura, knowing the answer but wanting to hide his embarrassment.
"Yes. That's right," he replied, so Nishida praised him somewhat exaggeratedly.
"No, you really did well. It wouldn't have been strange to overlook it. You've been a help!"
Then, the young detective puffed out his chest with a face full of confidence, unlike before.
"No. I understand that the basis of an investigation is to take everything as long as the possibility of it being related is not zero." He seemed to be a quite reliable junior.
"By the way, Isaka is being interrogated in Division 2 right now, isn't he?" When Nishida asked, Takada nodded slightly.
"I'm sorry, but could you let me question him right now?" Nishida pleaded.
"Well, since it's originally a Division 1 case (T/N: Yama), I don't mind at all... but could you wait a moment? I have to get permission from the Section Chief." Takada said this and headed toward the desk of Section Chief Kurusu of Division 2. Nishida followed, thinking he should also ask himself.
After hearing the story, Section Chief Kurusu instructed Takada,
"If Nishida says so, it can't be helped. Understood. Takada, tell Shoda and the others who are questioning him to cut it short. Tell them it's my instruction."
Then he said, "Then, Assistant Section Chief Nishida, please wait here," and Takada headed toward the interrogation room.
"By the way, how is it? Do you think you can make it? To the target," Kurusu asked Nishida, likely intentionally keeping it light, after seeing Takada off.
"Well, at this point, I can't say... Originally, it was a premature start, but I went through with it because I thought if I missed this timing, I'd completely lose the chance. I just have to do it."
Hearing that, Kurusu said only one thing.
"Well, you just have to do it, huh... Also, regarding Isaka's other crimes, we might be able to make it work. We're checking now." He said this without looking directly at Nishida.
"Is that so! I'm counting on that," Nishida said, in contrast, looking firmly at Kurusu.
The sun had already set, but Nishida faced Isaka directly for the first time. Normally, they should have questioned him with a two-person system, but he didn't even have a clerk; it was truly a one-on-one questioning.
At the point where he had no intention of taking a statement (T/N: Kyouju-chousho) at all, it couldn't be called a formal questioning in reality, setting aside procedural matters. Normally, it would never be allowed, but Kurusu had been considerate. As expected, Isaka Masamitsu looked more exhausted than he had appeared through the one-way mirror until now.
"A different detective than before, huh," Isaka muttered.
"There was just something I wanted to ask," Nishida told him.
Then Nishida placed the two pieces of evidence, excluding the cash—the gold dust and the deed—on the desk. Forensics had already briefly confirmed that the blood seal on the deed was a real bloodstain. In other words, it was almost certain that it was not the forged deed that Sada Minoru was seen to have handed over in exchange for the funding contract.
Also, he had decided to ask for a check later to see if the fingerprints on the blood seal, among those of Isaka and Houjou, definitely matched the information held by the police. And whether there were fingerprints of Isaka or Ooshima on the deed.
There should have been a total of four deeds; the one Sada Toru left with the Sada family and the one left with the Sada family by Masato's younger brother Masaharu, who inherited Houjou Masato's portion (eventually, after the murder of Sada Minoru, the two future Managing Directors of the Isaka Group, Kitagawa and Shinoda, took it from his body and Kitagawa kept it in a bank safe deposit box, likely to threaten Isaka Daikichi), had already been found.
If that were the case, the remaining portions should be either the one Isaka himself "has" or "had," or the one Ooshima (Onodera Michitoshi) inherited from Kuwano Kinya and "has" or "had." He thought the deed currently before him was likely Isaka's own, but it was a request for a check just in case.
Nishida had previously seen the probability of those two deeds remaining as quite low (due to the destruction of evidence), so even if only one remained, it was a sufficient surprise.
And the gold dust was about 375 grams. It was exactly "one hundred monme" (T/N: Approx. 375g), the amount for one person recorded in the deed. In other words, one person's worth of inheritance had been left entirely intact. It was also a great surprise that Isaka had likely kept his own deed and one person's worth of gold dust as they were.
"This belongs to your father, Daikichi, doesn't it?"
To that question, Isaka didn't show any particular reaction. Nishida proceeded with the conversation regardless.
Nishida had thought even before asking that Isaka Masamitsu likely wouldn't answer anything at this point. The fact that he was interrogating him with the feeling that it would be enough if he could see a reaction also led to such a "progression."
"You probably know from hearing it from your father, but this paper... the deed and the gold dust... I think both are the deed made when your father inherited from his employer while he was digging for gold in Ikutahara before the war, and the gold dust he dug up after the war. No, perhaps it's the portion for another person who should have received it according to this deed..."
As he spoke, he turned the deed so it was visible to Masamitsu.
"In the autumn of 1992, your father confessed something to you, didn't he? Seven years ago, in November 1995, based on Motohashi's confession, your father was referred to the prosecutor for the murder of a person named Sada Minoru, due to his own death. You must have been questioned about that as well. Our view at the time was that around the summer of '92, your father was threatened by someone who knew the truth about that murder. And you were a salaryman at Daikoku Construction in Tokyo at the time, but we've already obtained testimony that you were acting out around the autumn of '92. At that time, your father's health had rapidly declined since the summer, right? His heart must have suddenly gone bad. And the following year, he handed over the management to you and died. That series of events only seems to suggest that you were told about the incident and the threat by your father."
Even in the unique atmosphere of the one-on-one, Masamitsu didn't seem to be significantly agitated. Perhaps he had braced himself compared to the time of his arrest. Nishida's interrogation, which was close to a monologue, continued.
"This deed and gold dust must be the fundamental cause of the murder of Sada Minoru. We believe your father, in conspiracy with a certain person, took all the gold dust that the four people listed in this deed, including your father, should have originally received. And he was sniffed out by Sada Minoru, who learned of the deed's existence through his older brother Sada Toru, and was likely threatened using his past misconduct as a reason. Then, your father had the troublesome Sada Minoru killed by Motohashi... you know him, right? The Motohashi who was executed? ...by him, Kitagawa, and Shinoda. However, after that, he was conversely threatened by Kitagawa and Shinoda and was eventually forced to pull them up to executive positions. It's a pity you also had to inherit that negative legacy along with the company..."
When he glanced at Masamitsu's expression, his eyes remained closed, but he seemed to be listening firmly to Nishida's monologue.
"I suspect that what hurt your father most about being threatened by Sada was not the petty crime of hogging the gold dust, but the fact that he killed a comrade from the time they were digging for gold in Ikutahara—even if there was a problem with the other party—which can't be known from this deed. Haven't you heard about it? Look at this part written as 'the orphan of Mende Shigeyoshi.' Your father, along with this Houjou, killed the man who killed this Mende. There's no doubt it was out of righteous indignation, and even if it was well past the statute of limitations, a 'private execution' (T/N: Watashi no shikei) cannot be permitted. If that were made public, it would hurt your father, who was a powerful economic figure in the Okhotsk region... And it was also painful for your father that Sada Toru had firmly left the circumstances in a letter... Of course, it was because of that letter that Sada Minoru was able to know the old story..."
As he spoke one-sidedly, Nishida regretted that he hadn't brought the original or a copy of Sada Toru's letter from the Investigation Division 1's data cabinet. However, he also reconsidered that even if he had it, showing it to Masamitsu, who wouldn't say a word, wouldn't mean much.
"Returning to the story, who exactly is this gold dust for? As for us, we believe your father established the Isaka Group with the gold dust he took. However, the gold dust for exactly one person recorded in the deed was left in your house like this. You probably know the circumstances behind that, too? Since you haven't touched it at all. What on earth happened? Won't you tell me?"
While saying this, Nishida predicted that Masamitsu would be unresponsive at this point, as he would know that if he reacted to this, he would be questioned about various things regarding the murder case from 15 years ago. Reacting to this could also lead to betraying Ooshima, who is still "taking care" of him. And while Masamitsu still had his eyes closed, the fact that he had begun to cross his arms was different from before.
"Did you keep this as a kind of insurance? But why on earth did he keep it, even though he once went to the trouble of hogging even the other people's shares? And you also, likely following your father's wishes, kept it even after he died. I can't understand how the whole flow works, either."
It was a one-way conversation, but Nishida had either reached a point of acceptance or half-given up, and he continued to speak without even looking at Masamitsu's state.
"Your father must have dug up the gold dust after the war with a certain person... I'll just say it since there's no point in hiding it anymore—with that Ooshima Kaiji. And they took the shares of the others listed in the deed. He even confessed that to Matsushima Koutarou, who was shot to death in the hospital."
Nishida spoke based on Matsushima's testimony left on Kitamura's tape. But immediately after that, Masamitsu suddenly opened his mouth.
"My father... he might indeed be scum... but he's not a mere monster (T/N: Kichiku—brute/fiend)."
At the unexpected words, he stared at Masamitsu. They were by no means strong words, but Nishida took them as words with a soul in them.
"What do you mean by that? Explain it properly!"
Because he wanted to hear the meaning, he showed a threatening attitude for the first time in this interrogation, but Masamitsu fell silent again. And after that, Masamitsu didn't react to anything Nishida said.
Nishida also gave up on the interrogation after an hour, submitted the deed to forensics, and requested a check for fingerprint detection.
"Even so, did he finally snap after being told bad things about his father..."
As he returned to the investigation headquarters, Nishida was remembering the time Masamitsu had reacted uniquely.
However, he hadn't actually spoken in a snapping tone; it was a detached way of speaking, and he hadn't reacted to anything else. Nishida couldn't fully read the meaning of it. When he returned to the investigation headquarters, Section 1 Head Mitani asked him,
"Nishida! How was it?"
Nishida silently shook his head, so Mitani consoled him in a way.
"I see... Well, this matter might be useful for clarifying the truth, but it probably isn't something necessary for prosecution. Let's forget it and move on to the next thing."
"Yeah... I'll switch gears," Nishida could only say.
"What we can do now is solidify the evidence with testimony from surrounding people. While leaving Isaka to Division 2, we'll solidify the aiding and abetting of Sakamoto and Itagaki and prosecute their involvement in the shooting at the construction company. If we find there were instructions from Masamitsu there, we can further extend it to Masamitsu as well."
Mitani spoke of an "ideal theory" to encourage Nishida, but he must have known it wasn't such a simple matter.
"By the way, what about the Souryuu-kai?"
The investigation headquarters suspected that the Souryuu-kai, a local yakuza group with strong ties to both the Isaka Group itself and the two men, Sakamoto and Itagaki, had "educated" the two at the time of the shooting at the construction company.
However, although they had arrested gang members on separate cases and were looking into things, nothing that hit the heart of the matter had come out yet. There was also the wall of seven years of time. Investigators were searching day after day for traces of the two practicing shooting or for the plywood (T/N: Konpane) they had used for shooting practice, which they were said to have disposed of at a materials yard in the mountains owned by the Isaka Group, but they couldn't find anything applicable. Especially regarding the plywood, if Higashidate's testimony that they burned it was true, it would be quite tough to find.
Higashidate also continued to respond to interrogations on a voluntary basis even after being indicted, but no new testimony beyond what he had confessed before the indictment had come out. Since he had used the police to take revenge for his senior brother Ohara, he must have already given as much "cooperation" as he could.
August 6th. On this day when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima 57 years ago, Kitami had become as sweltering as Hiroshima was on that day. And just like Hiroshima where black rain fell, a sudden evening shower was falling in Kitami as well.
In the morning, a report came to Nishida from forensics that a large number of Isaka's fingerprints had been detected from the deed. It seemed the deed was indeed Daikichi's. If that were the case, why did Daikichi die leaving his own deed and one person's worth of gold dust intact... and why did Masamitsu keep it as it was...
It was certainly concerning, but now was not the time to spend time pursuing that. Nishida decided to temporarily tuck that thought away in the back of his mind. Needless to say, he wanted to find out the truth, but...
And after noon, this time good news came from Division 2. It seemed there was a strong suspicion that the Isaka Group's financial statements from last year were window-dressed (T/N: Funshoku—fraudulent accounting). Likely, what Kurusu had told Nishida the previous day referred to this suspicion. They seemed to view the purpose of that window-dressing as being to receive loans from their main transaction bank, Hokuo Bank.
This was because the Isaka Group was a family-owned company with all shares held by the Isaka family, and since the management outlook had been dark for the past few years and they had skipped dividends, the purpose of reducing the company's assets through improper dividends was impossible. In other words, to put it another way, prosecution for illegal dividends or breach of trust related to the Companies Act was tough.
However, there had been talk for several years that Hokuo Bank would withdraw large-scale loans to the Isaka Group, whose management was starting to tilt, and the view was that the Isaka Group had resorted to window-dressed accounting to somehow avoid that.
When they checked with the Hokuo Bank Kitami Branch, which they had been transacting with, the branch manager stated that depending on last year's financial results, they had been considering a partial withdrawal of loans in light of the declining sales, the chronic deficit structure of recent years, and the future contraction of the civil engineering and construction industries. Furthermore, he reported that they had notified the Isaka Group of this.
However, according to the branch manager, withdrawing loans from the Isaka Group, which had deep ties with Ooshima Kaiji, was actually not that simple, even for a partial withdrawal. He said that after this notification, there had actually been intervention in the Hokuo Bank's core from Ooshima Kaiji, who had likely been pleaded with by the president, Isaka. Hokuo Bank reportedly has had a certain degree of Ooshima's influence for many years.
On the other hand, it was also reported that following this series of arrests, the Hokuo Bank side had also begun to think that they must eliminate various influences around Ooshima.
Before the window-dressing, they had been moving to secure funds by inflating expenses with blank receipts and such, but it meant that in order to keep the bank's loans, it had now become necessary to force the business performance upward.
It could be said to have truly shown the management status of mid-sized general contractors that had become unstable since the collapse of the bubble, especially after 1998. In the Minyu Party administration before Prime Minister Takamatsu, the late Prime Minister Kume, who died suddenly, had poured a considerable amount of public funds into public works to respond to the sudden recession after the consumption tax increase to 5%. However, even that couldn't cover the recession in Hokkaido. Furthermore, because Takamatsu, who followed, hammered out a structural reform line and fiscal reconstruction, it is seen that the bank side also viewed continuing large loans to mid-sized general contractors with concern.
Division 2 had solidified the policy to prosecute Isaka for fraud against Hokuo Bank based on this. With this, even if the request for extension of detention for the "forgery of a private document with seal" charge—Isaka's current reason for detention—was not granted because he was responding honestly to interrogations and was deemed to have no risk of destroying evidence or fleeing, it became certain that further detention could be continued through re-arrest for the separate case of fraud. For the investigation headquarters, this was a material they could feel relieved about for the time being.
By the way, since fraud is not a crime prosecutable only upon complaint, a complaint from the Hokuo Bank side was not required, but aiming for a damaging effect on Isaka, Division 2 was asking the Hokuo Bank Kitami Branch for a complaint.
This had the intention of having the Hokuo Bank side clarify that they would completely "cut ties" with the Isaka Group, and the police side wanted to use it as material to shake Isaka himself through the Isaka Group's management crisis. However, it seemed to be a shame for Division 2 that they didn't get a very good answer from the Hokuo Bank side at this point. Of course, it was no different for Nishida and the others.
They viewed that even if the bank side had no choice but to reconsider the withdrawal of loans and cooperation with the police due to Isaka's arrest, they still likely deferred to Ooshima in that part.
In any case, until now, the investigation headquarters had considered, at worst, the re-arrest of Isaka for instigating the aiding and abetting of murder of the two employees, Sakamoto and Itagaki, who had looked after Higashidate and the others, based on the testimony of Sugimura, the person in charge of the facility at the time, that Isaka Masamitsu knew that Higashidate and the others were hiding in the training facility in Onneyu Onsen, Rubeshibe.
However, as an arrest charge, it was also in the category of being somewhat unreasonable, and since there was some concern even if the court tended to do as the police said, it was a great help that Division 2 had found a new crime.
On the other hand, Secretary Nakagawa, Sakamoto, and Itagaki still had not admitted to the charges. Regarding Nakagawa's murder charge and Itagaki's car theft charge (which might be switched to aiding and abetting murder depending on the case), physical evidence had come out and there was no problem, but regarding Sakamoto's car theft and the aiding and abetting of murder for both Sakamoto and Itagaki, the aspect of relying on Higashidate's testimony was still large, and they wanted physical evidence or at least a confession. Also, prosecution for the shooting at the construction company was in a tough state for now.
August 7th. As if the over-30-degree heat of the previous day were a lie, it rained and the maximum temperature didn't reach 20 degrees, and after noon, there was good news for Nishida and the others again.
It was said that one bullet had been found in the ground, buried about one centimeter deep, at the Isaka Group's materials yard in Rubeshibe. It was worth the effort of the investigators who had spent days desperately searching, crawling on the ground. It must have been tough in the rain on this day as well. It was seen as a portion that Sakamoto and the others had used in shooting practice and failed to fully recover.
It was immediately sent to forensics to check if there was anything in common with the ones used in the shooting at the construction company and if there were any with the same rifling marks (T/N: Senjou-kon). They had been searching on the assumption that there were bullets they failed to recover, and their efforts had borne fruit.
It would be unreasonable to link this physical evidence directly to the crimes of the two, but combined with Higashidate's testimony, it could be said they could somehow make it work. With this, a re-arrest related to the Firearms and Swords Act became possible in the future.
August 8th, Thursday. The four arrested had undergone interrogation by the prosecutor in charge once. Since the detention deadline was the 11th, and moreover, the 10th and 11th were Saturday and Sunday, it was necessary to have the prosecutor in charge request an extension of detention by the morning of the following day, Friday the 9th.
In the investigation headquarters, with the advice of the prosecutor in charge, they planned to first request an extension of detention for Nakagawa, Sakamoto, and Itagaki for murder and aiding and abetting murder, respectively, and for Isaka, while assuming an extension of detention for private document forgery, they were plotting a re-arrest for fraud in case it wasn't granted.
Depending on the case, the charge of instigating the aiding and abetting of murder for Sakamoto and Itagaki was also in reserve, but at present, it was doubtful if they could even make an arrest. Therefore, it was natural that they should prioritize prosecution for fraud.
Higashidate, who had already been indicted, had not yet been transferred to a detention house and remained in custody, and simple questioning by the prosecutor, such as matching with Itagaki's confession, was continuing. However, since Higashidate had confessed honestly, it seemed that not much time was being spent on his interrogation.
Now, while Nishida was busy in such a situation, it was past 7:00 PM, when the outside began to be covered in darkness, that he received a call from an unexpected person.
"Hello? Um, nice to meet you. I'm Igarashi from the Hokkaido Shinpo."
Being addressed that way, he didn't know who it was for a moment, but with the phrase "Hokkaido Shinpo," he realized it was Igarashi, the senior from Takeshita's university club and also his senior at his workplace. They had been indirectly involved since 1995, but this was the first time they had spoken directly.
"W-Wait a moment! I'm going outside now."
Nishida left the investigation headquarters room and ran toward the break room. While the others likely wouldn't know who he was talking to, he didn't want the other investigators to hear the content of his conversation. After all, the other party was the media. He could guess the kind of things he would be asked. Conveniently, there was no one in the break room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! Same here. It's the first time we've spoken directly, but I've been quite indebted to you through Takeshita, starting with the Sanyu Metal Mining case."
"I appreciate that; that makes things quick!"
As soon as he heard Nishida's greeting, he could tell the other party's voice became somewhat higher. Just because he was grateful didn't mean he would grant the other party's requests, but Nishida felt uneasy that he might be being somewhat misunderstood.
"Did you hear this number from Takeshita?"
"As you guessed."
"Is this an interview related to the case? If so, I'm sorry, but at this stage, I don't have anything I can tell you that would please you."
Since Nishida suspected that Igarashi might have called to poke around regarding the case, he had thrown a preemptive jab.
"No, it's natural to be on guard, but unfortunately, I'm in the City News Department in Tokyo now. Unless Ooshima is arrested, even if I were to interview, it would be outside my area of responsibility, so I have nothing to write right now... And besides, your reporters over there are already doing various interviews, aren't they?"
Igarashi also understood that the police were making Ooshima the final target. To begin with, it went without saying because Igarashi had mostly grasped that through Takeshita in the autumn of 1995, far before the media was making a fuss about it now...
"Now that you mention it, you were in Tokyo, Igarashi-san. My apologies for that!"
Nishida's guard against the other party also loosened somewhat with this statement.
"But if that's the case, then all the more, what on earth is your business? I can't think of any reason for you to call me directly."
"Well, maybe so... Lately, investigation information hasn't been coming out through the media. At times like this, it's either that the investigation is progressing and they've become cautious, or the investigation has hit a dead end, and usually it's the latter, right? Saying you can't think of a reason means, conversely, that the investigation isn't progressing as you'd like, right?"
He used a mocking expression, but since it was true to some extent, it couldn't be helped. On top of that, Igarashi continued.
"If that's the case, I thought I should tell you because I got some interesting information from an acquaintance of mine over here... Originally, even if I were to take information from the police, doing something like leaking it from my side is something I wouldn't want to do at all as a person who makes a living as a journalist (T/N: Bun-ya—slang for a journalist)..."
Igarashi spoke in a suggestive way. Nishida sensed it and asked simply,
"What's the reward? It doesn't seem like you want investigation information at this point."
Then he replied,
"As for the reward, if it's alright with you, it'll be enough if you provide the Doho with detailed information that can't be known elsewhere after you've arrested Ooshima. To put it another way, I'm not really expecting that much to begin with. I don't even know if it's a story I can be in charge of..."
He gave a somewhat spiteful reply. It seemed he had no such intention to begin with, so he felt bad that his motives were being questioned when he had nothing to hide.
"My apologies for that... Then why?"
Nishida apologized formally, but he still couldn't gauge the other party's true intent.
"There's no great reason for it... To begin with, if you're a journalist in Hokkaido, there aren't many people who like Ooshima, the man of interests, unless they're part of his 'entourage.' Most of my colleagues want him arrested as soon as possible. In that sense, I've reluctantly become in the mood to go out of my way to provide information to the police. Even though I've moved in various ways for your sake because of my relationship with Takeshita, since Takeshita isn't involved, I originally wouldn't even want to cooperate much."
Just hearing this statement, it was certain that he was not a person very well-disposed toward the police, just like Takagaki. Regarding that, Nishida at this moment suddenly recalled that he had heard something about it through Takeshita at the time of the Doho's reporting intervention when Managing Director Kitagawa collapsed during interrogation.
"In other words, you're cooperating with us in an almost pure sense... Is that what it is?"
"Well, to put it plainly. That's why, the preamble has become long, but is it about time I can speak?"
As if losing his patience, he pressed for a course correction to return to the main subject.
"Ah, my apologies. I've made a detour with unnecessary suspicion... Please, tell me the information."
He dared to ask quite politely.
"Well, I don't know how important it is for you, but I think it's reasonably interesting information."
Despite seeming to want to say it quickly, he gave a roundabout preamble, so Nishida was clicking his tongue in his heart, thinking, "Even though I played nice for you."