Chapter 79 - Name and Reality 2 {Combined 3 & 4} (5-6, 7-9 Takeshita's Current Situation, Nishida and Yoshimura's Assignment to Kitami, Cast Name Changes: Oyabu to Koyabu, Kubota to Sanada, Miyata to Asada)
As the stack of New Year's cards grew thinner and thinner, with only a few remaining, one from Takeshita appeared. As previously mentioned, Takeshita had resigned from the police force, specifically in March 1996. Since there had been talk of him finding a new job at a newspaper company before then, Nishida had considered the possibility, but he never expected him to quit the following spring. Section Chief Sawai, his colleagues, and even Kosaka from the Kitami Station had strongly urged him to stay, but his resolve remained unshaken.
Takeshita never mentioned it directly, but Nishida was certain that the police's tendency toward peace-at-any-price during the series of investigations had significantly influenced his change of career path. Takeshita himself had merely said, "I came to the conclusion that if I'm going to switch to being a reporter, it's better to do it sooner rather than later," but he was not the impulsive type to make such a sudden decision.
Most likely, the direct reason was that he had "grown disgusted" with the police. Kosaka's prediction had unexpectedly come true. In the end, everyone accepted it—or rather, they were forced to—and sent him off warmly. A farewell party was held at the Boss's Yusen to celebrate Takeshita's future.
Then, in July of that year, thanks in part to Igarashi's mediation, Takeshita successfully joined Hokkaido Shinpo through their mid-career recruitment track. Due to his experience as a detective and the strong recommendations from Igarashi and his superior, the Desk (it seems Takeshita's information had contributed greatly to the scoop on Motohashi's confession to the Sada murder), he was assigned to the Press Club of the Prefectural Police Headquarters' First Investigation Division. However, it seemed he himself did not actually consider being assigned to the "Press Club" desirable.
Being assigned to a police press club, especially at the headquarters level for the First Investigation Division, is a prestigious position for someone in a newspaper's social affairs department, making it an exceptionally rare and favorable treatment for a mid-career hire. However, Takeshita had apparently recognized since his student days that the collusion between the police and the press club was one of the factors distorting incident reporting. A while after his assignment, when he met Nishida who had returned home to Sapporo, he voiced his dissatisfaction.
From October 1998, he switched to the social issues beat, a plain section of the Social Affairs Department he had requested. Ironically, because he had used his experience as a detective to produce results in the press club in a short period, his request was granted all at once. Of course, the fact that it was technically a "demotion" was also a reason his wish was granted so quickly.
There, spanning from January to July 1999—six years after the Hokkaido Nansei-oki Earthquake sent tsunamis crashing into Okushiri Island in July 1993, and four years after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1995—he was involved in a joint reporting and publication series titled "Okushiri, and Kobe." This was a collaborative effort with the social affairs department of the Hyogo Shinbun, based in Kobe. Furthermore, this series was well-received and eventually won the prestigious Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association Award.
Nishida had also seen the articles with Takeshita's byline serialized in the Doho in real-time, feeling happy for him. The content of the articles mostly contrasted the two earthquakes that occurred in the same era while simultaneously exposing social issues.
In the Hokkaido Nansei-oki Earthquake, tsunamis caused by crustal deformation on the seabed resulted in over 200 dead or missing, centered on Okushiri Island, which suffered the most damage. However, compared to the scale of the earthquake and tsunami, it could be said that the damage was kept to a minimum, partly because it was a depopulated area. On the other hand, the shock to society was immense; not only reconstruction budgets but also large amounts of donations poured in from across the country, leading to a rapid recovery on Okushiri Island.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake, which occurred nearly two years later, had an even more intense impact, not just on Japan but on the world. Scenes of burning streets and overturned highways—tragedies post-war Japan had never experienced—were broadcast nationwide in real-time via television.
The sight of the collapse of Kobe, a city of one million, dominated most of the news until the Subway Sarin Incident occurred. Conversely, after the Sarin incident at the end of March, the earthquake was, in a sense, forcibly pushed to the corners of memory.
Naturally, a vastly greater amount of relief funds and donations were collected than for the Nansei-oki Earthquake, but the problem that arose there was the sheer number of victims. Compared to the Nansei-oki Earthquake, the amount per person was significantly lower, making it quite insufficient as support for the victims. Additionally, even in cases of partial collapse rather than total destruction, many buildings practically had to be demolished, and the certification of that damage became a significant issue.
Then, Okushiri and Kobe several years after their respective disasters. Okushiri, which was recovering completely with new homes and facilities lining the streets, and Kobe, still halfway through reconstruction. The paradox was noteworthy: "Depopulated Okushiri," where suspicious movements had emerged due to the large sums of money involved (later, the mayor of Okushiri would be arrested for bribery), versus "Metropolitan Kobe," where many elderly people with no relatives lived in temporary housing, some dying alone.
Nishida had also told Takeshita over the phone at the time, "Those are quite good articles." However, Takeshita, who had started his life as a reporter so smoothly, surely never imagined that the very quality of those articles would cause him to be cast down from favor to misfortune.
In January 2001, he was approached with an offer to be assigned to the Sapporo District Public Prosecutors Office Press Club starting that April, framed as a "promotion." Takeshita had accepted the first press club assignment as somewhat inevitable, but this subsequent assignment was something he found quite dissatisfying. True to his character, he filed a strong objection to the personnel move.
As a result, the promotion was overturned. While he remained on the social issues beat, he was ordered to transfer to a local branch office where, depending on the situation, he would have to handle all sorts of duties, including the police beat. It wasn't a direct demotion, but it was a form of retaliatory personnel transfer.
Takeshita wasn't without dissatisfaction regarding the result, but he seemed to think it was better than being stuck in a press club. However, he was forced into a long-distance arrangement with the woman he had met and married in Sapporo after re-employment—a department store employee—partly because she held a significant position within her company. Thus, from April 2001, Takeshita was "shipped off" to the Monbetsu branch.
Despite Takeshita's situation, his New Year's card indicated that he was leading a reasonably fulfilling life. In fact, when Nishida had drinks with Takeshita when he came to Sapporo on business last summer, he certainly looked well. Nishida surmised that, beyond just words, Takeshita was actually doing good work. Sometimes, people find their purpose in the content of their work rather than their title. Nishida felt Takeshita was that type of person.
On Monday, March 25, 2002, Nishida, along with Yoshimura and several others who had been transferred, was introduced to the staff by the Kitami Regional Headquarters Section 1 Head, Mitani Kenji.
"This is Inspector Nishida Toshihiro, Section 1 Assistant Manager, who has been appointed as the overall person in charge of the dedicated investigation into the Kyoritsu Hospital shooting incident. Even at the time of the incident in November '95, he was involved more deeply than just as support from the Engaru Station, so he is aware of most of the information from that time. However, he likely doesn't have a full grasp of the information that has emerged recently, so when the Assistant Manager asks, make sure to brief him properly!"
In response, Nishida greeted them:
"I am Nishida, just introduced by Section Chief Mitani. I never imagined that I would be involved again seven years later in a case that had gone cold, but now that I have been appointed to this position, I intend to devote my full strength toward solving the case. At the same time, it is clear that solving the case is impossible without everyone's help, so although I am inexperienced, I ask for your cooperation! Thank you!"
After Yoshimura and the others gave their respective greetings, Nishida was called to the office of the Criminal Investigation Director, Koyabu Ichiro, whom he had already greeted. He was to be introduced to the Kitami Regional Headquarters Director, Yasumura Takumi, who had been absent earlier in the morning due to business. (Author's Note: In the main story, it was Oyabu, but since the Criminal Investigation Director in 1995 was 'Otomo,' I will change it to Koyabu. There might be mistakes in the conversion, but from now on, it will be Koyabu.)
Leaving the Director's office, the two began to walk slowly down the corridor toward the Headquarters Director's office.
"Nishida, Director Yasumura just came in, so I'm thinking of going to greet him now, but is it alright if I say one thing beforehand?" Koyabu spoke in a low voice.
"Is there a problem?" Nishida looked sideways at his superior, puzzled.
"No, it's nothing major, but the Director is quite young," he began.
"Young, you say?"
"Actually... as you probably know, the position of Regional Headquarters Director in the Hokkaido Prefectural Police is basically a position for Doho propers (Author's Note: Police staff hired as local civil servants by local governments. 'Career' refers to national civil servants hired by the National Police Agency)..."
"Yes, that seems to be the case." Nishida was somewhat ignorant of that sort of topic, but he had at least that much knowledge, so he nodded.
"However, the current Director Yasumura is a 'Career' from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law, and he's only forty-three."
"Whoa! Forty-three? Does that mean he became a Regional Headquarters Director at forty-two!? That's incredible. For someone at the Headquarters Director level (Author's Note: Regional Headquarters Directors also attend the national conference of Prefectural Police Headquarters Chiefs) to be in their early forties, they'd have to be at the absolute fastest track level, wouldn't they?"
Nishida was genuinely surprised, but regardless of age, he wondered why a Career hired by the National Police Agency was the Kitami Regional Headquarters Director. However, thinking about it, even before that, the position of Criminal Investigation Director at the Kitami Regional Headquarters was basically a 'Satchou' (abbreviation for National Police Agency) Career position, just as it was with Otomo, whom he had served under before. Therefore, Koyabu should also technically be a Career.
Nishida hadn't confirmed Koyabu's age, but considering his past statements and his "appearance," he was almost certainly older than the Headquarters Director. Nishida felt a chill, thinking he had made another awkward comment. However, Koyabu didn't show any sign of reacting to it, so Nishida hurried to change the subject.
"That aside, why is a Satchou Career the Regional Headquarters Director?"
"About that... do you know that the Station Chief of the Asahikawa Police Station died suddenly in December of the year before last?"
"No, I don't really recall..."
"I see... It was apparently quite a topic of conversation within the Doho. I wasn't here at the time, so I only heard about it when I came here last year. Well, apparently he 'messed up' at his mistress's house... So, originally, that Station Chief had been unofficially appointed to take over as the Kitami Director from the predecessor who was retiring in January of last year. While they were discussing what to do, the Satchou caught wind of the 'scandal' and intervened, and Yasumura-'kun', the Career, was sent in."
In Koyabu's use of "-kun," Nishida sensed the distorted pride of an older man, but he made sure not to let it show.
"I see... So it was that kind of messy story."
"That's how it is. Well, I thought I should tell you beforehand so you wouldn't be surprised by how young he is when you meet him. That's all."
After hearing this, Nishida thought, "Kurano probably knew about this since it involved personnel matters; he could have at least told me," but then he reconsidered that it wasn't a story Kurano necessarily had to tell him.
"No, thank you for your consideration," he said, expressing his gratitude.
Koyabu knocked on the door of the Headquarters Director's office a few times.
"Come in," came a short reply, and Koyabu quietly opened the door. In the view opened before him, through the light coming in from the window, the silhouette of Yasumura entered his sight. Looking only at his upper body, he appeared younger than the age he had heard—though he looked to be in his late thirties.
"Hello. I was called away by the Public Safety Commission, so I apologize for being late."
Before Koyabu and Nishida could greet him, Yasumura apologized. Despite being young, he was a Career, so Nishida was rather taken aback by this attitude.
"No, no, it was for work." Unlike before, Koyabu spoke in a strangely humble manner. There might have been a bit of sarcasm in it. Nishida also introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you. I am Nishida Toshihiro, appointed as the Section 1 Assistant Manager."
"Ah, the one for the dedicated investigation of the shooting incident. You're Mr. Nishida, who has been assigned as the de facto overall person in charge. Although the case started moving again last year, the investigation hasn't been going well... The Doho Headquarters said there was one suitable person, so that's why we had you come. Oh, that's right, I'm Yasumura Takumi. I look forward to working with you!"
Yasumura stood up and offered a handshake. Nishida was a bit stunned but quickly wiped his hand on his suit and shook it. After that, they didn't talk about the investigation; they had a bit of small talk with Koyabu and then left the Director's office.
"Even though he's young, he's quite humble for a Career."
Nishida shared his impression with Koyabu as they left the room and walked down the stairs.
"I suppose. Though I feel like he's actually looking down on us," Koyabu replied with a wry smile. It seemed he still had his thoughts.
"Do you think so? I didn't get that impression," Nishida ventured to disagree.
"You never know what someone is thinking inside. I've seen him for over a year, and his humility hasn't changed, though."
"Heh. If he's that thorough about it, isn't that quite something, even if it's an act?" Nishida stated his honest thoughts at the time.
"Well, I suppose I have to give him credit for that," the troublesome superior said, his face twisting slightly.
That evening, a welcome party for the new members was held. After drinking through the second party, Nishida and Yoshimura were invited by Yoshimura to his home. His young daughter was already asleep, but his wife, Yoko, was awake and welcomed them warmly.
"Man, sorry for being so late."
"No, no, it's Mr. Nishida, who has been so kind to us." While saying this, Yoko fried some chicken for snacks and put them on the table.
"But still, to be able to chase a case with the Team Leader... oops, I mean, the Assistant Manager again... I couldn't even imagine it a year ago," Yoshimura said, as if savoring the moment.
"Assistant Manager, huh... It just doesn't feel right. It's so long! 'Section Chief' fits better. So, inside the headquarters is one thing, but when it's just the two of us, 'Nishida-san' or 'Team Leader' is fine!" Nishida was more concerned about the job title than the "main subject" of Yoshimura's talk.
"Whether it's Assistant Manager or Team Leader, there's not much difference in the number of characters when you write it in hiragana, is there?" Yoshimura said, half-exasperated.
"I guess you're right!" Nishida laughed loudly despite it being the middle of the night. It was a rental apartment, not a detached house, so it must have been quite a nuisance to the neighbors, but they spent the time until the date changed, joined by Yoko, looking back on memories.
The dedicated investigation team for the Kitami Kyoritsu Hospital shooting incident consisted of a total of ten members: Nishida as Assistant Manager at the top, Team Leader Onga, Senior Staff Yoshimura, another Senior Staff Kusaka, and "rank-and-file" detectives Sanada (Author's Note: In the main story, it was Kubota, but since he might be confused with Kuboyama who appears later, I'm changing it to Sanada. Therefore, I might forget to convert Kubota to Sanada, so in that case, please read it as Sanada in your mind), Mayuzumi, Sakata, Koide, Asada (Author's Note: This was also Miyata, but since he's easy to confuse with Miyabe who appears later, I'm changing it to Asada), and Hayano. Before Nishida and Yoshimura were assigned, it was an eight-person team, but it had been reinforced to ten. Normally, it's impossible for the top person and a Senior Staff to pair up, but at Nishida's strong request, the duo with Yoshimura was revived.
Furthermore, for a dedicated investigation, if an investigation headquarters is not established, it is customary for a Senior Staff to be the team leader. However, a structure similar to a small-scale investigation headquarters was chosen this time, and a special form was permitted where Assistant Manager Nishida directly acted as the de facto overall person in charge. And Yoshimura's role as a Senior Staff was not as a Senior Staff within the organization, but primarily to act as Nishida's assistant.
Furthermore, technically, the Sada Minoru murder case had already been "solved" with the trial of the perpetrator Motohashi, but naturally, Nishida did not consider that a true resolution, and Kurano, who had sent Nishida to Kitami, shared that recognition. This point was "more or less" a shared understanding even among the upper management of the Kitami Regional Headquarters.
Due to these circumstances, this unusual personnel arrangement, which allowed Nishida and Yoshimura to take leadership in the shooting incident investigation while also functioning as a sort of "independent unit," also served the purpose of enabling the two of them to secretly pursue the Sada Minoru murder case. This was also the greatest consideration Kurano had made as a "parting gift" to Nishida.
On the 26th, the day after his assignment, a confirmation of specific investigation information was conducted under the new dedicated system. Needless to say, it was all things Nishida already knew, but this kind of thing is like a "rite of passage," and not something to complain about. Moreover, since the one leading it was the top man, Nishida himself, no one could complain.
"Assistant Manager Nishida! I hear that Team Leader Sudo, the officer in charge from the National Police Agency's Organized Crime Department, will be coming here on April 1st. Have you heard?"
Team Leader Onga, a veteran detective, confirmed in a formal manner.
"I heard about it yesterday. But investigating the same things that didn't come up seven years ago... even if he comes, it won't mean much, will it?" As he said this, perhaps bothered by the slightly high heating setting characteristic of Hokkaido, he fanned himself with a stack of photocopied documents like a fan.
"He just wants to introduce himself for now, so don't say that."
"Team Leader, of course I'll behave when we meet." Nishida straightened his back as if to reassure the worried Onga. Onga was older than Nishida, a veteran detective who had worked his way up from high school, and he seemed to be quite earnest.
"Then I'll get things ready."
"Ready? Oh, that? Then I'll leave it to you." Nishida said this in response to Onga's words and stood up to moisten his dry throat.
After that, in the afternoon, he had the opportunity to meet two detectives in charge of the case from the Kitami Station, the local jurisdiction. It was a duo consisting of the veteran Kume and the young Miyabe. However, Nishida clearly had a prior acquaintance with Miyabe.
"Oh? Miyabe-kun, you were in Engaru before, weren't you?"
"Ah, you remembered me! I'm honored. I'm Miyabe, I was in the Community Safety Section!"
"I knew it! You were a big help back then. So you became a detective as you hoped!"
"Thanks to you, I was able to become a detective!"
When Nishida offered a handshake, Miyabe grasped Nishida's hand with both of his.
Miyabe was the officer who, back when he was an aspiring detective, had helped Nishida as a guide when he visited the Saejima Antique Shop in Engaru, theorizing that Shinoda might have bought a 'cinerary urn' or something. But still, even though seven years had passed, it was quite something for him to be a detective at a large jurisdiction like the Kitami Station. He was probably not even over thirty yet. He must have worked incredibly hard.
However, they couldn't just spend all their time on reminiscences, so they confirmed the necessary matters. Since it was a case where the investigation headquarters had been disbanded once, the clear dedicated staff from the jurisdiction seemed to be the two people in front of him. Right after the case started moving again with Kagami's arrest, the Kitami Station had apparently mobilized quite a few people, but since nothing more was found, they had scaled back again. Well, since the Kitami Regional Headquarters was putting effort into it, it might be unavoidable for a local station that was busy with various real-time matters.
On the afternoon of April 1st, Sudo, the Team Leader of the 4th Section, 4th Division of the Organized Crime Department of the National Police Agency, arrived at the Kitami Regional Headquarters with his subordinates. Yoshimura met them at the entrance and guided them to the 3rd small conference room of the Criminal Investigation Department, which the dedicated investigators were using as their base.
"I am Nishida, in charge of the dedicated investigation here in Kitami."
"Hello. I'm Sudo."
He had quite an intimidating presence, truly feeling like a Team Leader from the Satchou's "Kumitai" (Organized Crime Department), but his speech was sophisticated.
"By the way, what is it that you want to do?"
"What do I want to do, you ask?" Nishida was perplexed by the sudden, contextless question.
"I mean, since we couldn't narrow down any suspicious person with the surname Abe from the Aoi-ikka lineage, what do you want us to do next?"
"Ah..." Nishida had honestly not thought very deeply about it, thinking it was just a meeting to introduce themselves.
"It seems you don't understand why I came all the way here to Kitami. I could have just handled it over the phone!" At this moment, Sudo was completely different from before, with the momentum of someone intimidating a yakuza. But if he flinched here, he might repeat his blunders in front of his new subordinates. He needed to handle this calmly.
"Seven years ago when I was part of the investigation, it was the same kind of search, and as expected, no member-type person with the surname Abe surfaced, so I see that as having been a waste of time. In that case, is there any possibility of another organization that isn't directly part of the Aoi-ikka but has some small connection in some way?"
"It's not impossible, but as far as I've seen the investigation information, if you're going to ask for a crime of this magnitude, the limit would be a third-tier organization; I think it's safe to say they wouldn't ask through any other route. In fact, Kagami was a member of the Shiun Association, a second-tier organization under Tatsukawa's wing. However, in the case of the Aoi-ikka, there are organizations that can be called direct lineages even at the third-tier or sometimes fourth-tier level, so it's a matter of how you consider those possibilities."
"But, you've already investigated those, haven't you?"
"That's true, but under the fourth-tier organizations, there are also so-called punks. However, for a punk to travel from Honshu to Kitami and gun down three people... even if one of the accomplices was a professional yakuza, the reality is that it's unlikely."
"Is an amateur possible? If so, the investigation will be extremely difficult, won't it?"
"Basically, if that's the case, we're stuck. Well, the current understanding is that, no matter how you look at it, that's probably not the case," Sudo stated bluntly.
Nishida was inwardly indignant, wondering if he had come all this way just to say that, but he also felt that it couldn't possibly be the case.
"You have some idea, don't you?" When Nishida asked this, Sudo said,
"Of course, it's not that I have nothing... but..." and stopped before saying more.
"Please."
Prompted by Nishida, Sudo began to speak.
"The Kumitai is starting to take an interest in the maternal grandson of Boss Sogo of the Kobe Kokonoe Group, who organizes the current young head assistants of the Aoi-ikka. He's an amateur, but not an amateur in the true sense."
"A maternal grandson means the child of the Boss's daughter? From the way you say it, he's not a member?"
"Not for now... However, his surname is also Abe, and in Hyogo, especially in his hometown of Himeji, he's apparently a well-known bad seed who has experience being thrown into juvenile hall and juvenile prison. His full name is 'Abe Shinya.' Even now that he's over twenty-five, he seems to be doing various bad things, but many of them can't be prosecuted, and it seems the Community Safety Section of the Hyogo Prefectural Police is at their wits' end."
"I see. But it's a strange story that someone who is a blood relative of such a central group and keeps doing bad things is still not a member..."
"That's because Boss Sogo and his daughter had a falling out, and they're essentially estranged. If they had a good relationship, he would have definitely been a member. This is information from the Prefectural Police's Kumitai rather than the Community Safety (Life Safety Department) of the Hyogo Prefectural Police..."
"Wait a minute! If they're estranged, what kind of connection are you assuming?" Nishida was a bit confused by the complicated story.
"The thing is, while the parent and child are estranged, there seems to be occasional contact between the grandfather and grandson. However, he's devoted to his mother—no, there's no point in saying someone who does nothing but bad things is devoted to his mother... Heh." Sudo laughed as he said this, as if he found it funny himself.
"...Excuse me. So, he's been saying among his delinquent friends for a long time that he won't become a yakuza at his old man's place."
"I see. He hasn't even exchanged sakazuki?"
"Right. However, while investigating various things, information came in from the Hyogo Prefectural Police that he was strangely flush with cash around November to December of '95, when the shooting incident occurred. Moreover, as far as the Hyogo Prefectural Police cooperated, there's a story that he wasn't in his hometown of Himeji for several days around the time the shooting incident occurred, which is suspicious. I haven't heard the detailed information about his absence yet, though..."
"That is certainly interesting information..." Nishida's eyes sparkled a bit more, having gained a new lead.
"That information came in on March 23rd. So, since the leader in Kitami was also changing, I thought I'd drop by. He's not a member, but there's a real blood connection. I'm thinking maybe, just maybe." Having said this much, Sudo seemed satisfied and finally touched the tea that had been served.
"Well, that information certainly piques my interest. It feels like a ray of light has shone on the Abe information that never came out. However, there are a few problems... First, the handling of the handgun. And if he was to suddenly cooperate with Kagami, whom he had no prior acquaintance with, to commit murder, that seems like a high hurdle in its own right?"
"That is exactly the problem! We just can't quite clear that. Our position now is that we want to work with the Hyogo Prefectural Police to nail that down."
"I'll leave that to you, then." Nishida bowed his head.
"Well, I've said what I needed to say, so let's call it a day for today." Sudo said this and then asked Nishida,
"The drift ice season is already over, isn't it?"
"It left a long time ago."
"Ah, I thought so."
Hearing this, Nishida inwardly thought, "Look that up yourself," but he said,
"We've already prepared some delicious seafood for tonight," while glancing at Onga beside him.
"Ah, that's helpful. By the way, is there anything to see at this time of year?" Sudo asked casually.
"At this time of year, everything is halfway... For now, my subordinate will guide you to Bihoro Pass, which has a good view. From there, you should still be able to look over Lake Kussharo with its spectacular winter scenery. Why don't you take a soak in a hot spring after that? We'll handle things flexibly... Well then, let's meet again tonight."
"I see. Then I'll be in your care." Sudo smirked with satisfaction and had his subordinate put away the documents.