SCIAW: Chapter 122/123

Chapter 122: A Police Officer Must Be Practical

After completing their operation, the special forces set up a perimeter around Tsukikage Island, ensuring that no one could escape in the ensuing chaos.

Meanwhile, the investigation inside the island was handled by detectives dispatched from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Even the cleanup phase was proving to be anything but easy.

A thorough search of the island's interior was required.

Were there still drug dealers hiding among the civilians?

Who were the dozens of unidentified corpses beneath the drug lab?

The detectives worked tirelessly through the night.

"Haaah~"

Inspector Megure Juzo let out a deep yawn, barely keeping his eyes open.

He was exhausted.

Interrogations, investigations, endless paperwork, he had been working through the night without rest.

I'm getting too old for this…

Back in the day, he could handle cases like this without breaking a sweat. But now, he couldn't keep up with the younger officers the way he used to.

At that moment, Chiba Kazunobu approached him with a report.

"Inspector Megure, we've completed the preliminary interrogations and investigations."

"The captured drug dealers have admitted to their involvement in drug trafficking. Most of them have already confessed."

Megure gave a slow nod. "And the corpses?"

"We've confirmed their identities," Chiba replied, his tone slightly heavy.

"All of them were civilians from Tsukikage Island."

Megure's brows furrowed. "Were they just random targets?"

Chiba shook his head. "Not exactly."

"They were people who kept to themselves, villagers who rarely interacted with others. Because of that, their disappearances didn't attract much attention."

Megure exhaled sharply.

As expected.

The drug dealers had deliberately chosen victims who were unlikely to be missed.

People who lived quietly, without close connections to their neighbors.

Inhuman bastards.

Even now, after all his years in law enforcement, Megure still found himself disgusted by the depths of human cruelty.

"And the identities of the dead drug dealers?" he asked.

Chiba hesitated. "That… isn't fully confirmed yet."

Identifying the deceased criminals was far more difficult, especially for those without proper records.

Megure wasn't surprised.

"If it's not done yet, keep working on it," he said, his voice steady.

"We need to confirm who they were. And more importantly, we need to find out if there are any other accomplices still out there."

Chiba nodded. "Understood."

"This is going to be a long process," Megure continued. "Some things won't be solved overnight."

"For now, compile the confirmed identities. As for the rest, we'll pass them on to the narcotics division."

"They have more experience with drug-related crimes. Let them handle the deeper investigation."

"Yes, sir!"

Chiba felt a wave of relief at those words.

In all his years as a detective, he had never encountered a case this severe.

Just as he was about to leave, a thought occurred to him.

"Inspector Megure, what about Takagi? Should we keep him on guard duty?"

Megure barely hesitated.

"Let him stay."

Chiba was momentarily taken aback.

Megure sighed. "You know what level Takagi is at."

"In terms of investigative skill, he's not that different from Mouri Kogoro in his early days."

Chiba nearly choked at the comparison.

"But between the two, Mouri was the better detective."

Megure rubbed his temples.

"Mouri may have made reckless deductions at times, but he was still one of the most capable officers the department had back then."

"He wasn't a master detective, but when it came to handling cases, he got the job done."

He let out another sigh, exhaustion creeping into his voice.

"The same can't exactly be said for Takagi."

Aside from his lack of strong deduction skills, Mouri excelled in other areas, his ability to act, his physical capabilities, and his focus during investigations were all top-notch.

Moreover, he was an exceptional marksman. His shooting skills were second to none in the department.

Compared to him, Takagi Wataru was severely lacking.

During investigations, Takagi often struggled, his inability to control his words, his poor execution, and his lack of focus on cases frequently led to problems.

In the past, Megure had believed that real-world experience would help Takagi improve over time.

But after observing his performance in recent cases, Megure was no longer optimistic.

At this rate, it's better to just have him stand guard during major cases rather than risk him messing up a good investigation.

"This case is huge, and the higher-ups are watching closely," Megure said grimly.

"We can't afford to let Takagi ruin things again."

"If he can't even handle standing guard properly, I won't be able to protect him this time."

For minor mistakes in routine cases, Megure could shield his subordinates.

But for an operation of this scale, involving drug cartels and multiple deaths, even he had limits.

That was why Megure preferred to assign Takagi to guard duty rather than entrust him with any critical tasks.

"Also," Megure continued, glancing at Chiba Kazunobu, "once we return, you'll be responsible for guiding him."

"If Takagi still can't adapt to the work of Investigation Division One, I'll report to Superintendent Matsumoto and have him reassigned back to traffic duty."

Chiba clicked his tongue slightly.

He knew that if Takagi failed this time, it would be his last chance.

Once an officer was sent back to the Traffic Department, their career path was essentially sealed.

Most police officers started out as traffic cops before earning the chance to transfer to other divisions.

But if someone who had transferred out proved incapable of handling the work, they wouldn't get another opportunity.

Being sent back meant they would likely spend the rest of their career in traffic enforcement with little to no chance of further advancement.

For Takagi, this was a make-or-break moment.

"Yes, I'll talk to him later," Chiba said seriously.

Megure nodded and gave Chiba a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Make sure he understands."

"Tell him to adapt to Division One's work as soon as possible. I don't want to send a young officer with ambition back to a dead-end role."

"Also, tell him to stop trying to impress Officer Sato."

Megure sighed, shaking his head.

"Being a police officer means staying grounded. He can't afford to get distracted by unnecessary things."

"If he can't even do his job properly, what right does he have to think about anything else?"

"If he really wants to catch Officer Sato's attention, he should start by proving himself as a competent officer."

Megure frowned.

"But at the rate he's going now… I don't see that happening anytime soon."

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Chapter 123: Do You Know About the Back Mountain?
"Inspector Megure, you knew?"

Chiba looked at Megure in surprise.

"Isn't that obvious?"

Megure narrowed his eyes, feeling a little insulted.

He wasn't blind, nor was he oblivious to the atmosphere around him. He knew perfectly well how many men in the Metropolitan Police Department were interested in Sato Miwako.

"There are plenty of single officers in the department. Of course, I know how many have their eyes on Officer Sato."

"But at the end of the day, her personal life is her business."

"If those guys want to pursue her, that's their choice, as long as they do their jobs properly."

Megure had never opposed workplace relationships within the department.

In fact, the Metropolitan Police Department encouraged officers to date within the force, believing it helped with work-life balance.

So he was well aware of Sato's admirers and frankly, he didn't mind.

But in the end, Sato Miwako would make her own decisions.

As long as everyone was doing their jobs, he had no reason to interfere.

That said…

Takagi?

Could he even say he was doing his job properly?

Clearly not.

So Megure didn't feel the need to say anything else.

If Takagi couldn't even handle his own duties as an officer, then there was nothing to discuss.

He needed to focus on proving himself first.

And if he couldn't?

Then he'd be heading back to Traffic Division.

"Chiba, remind that idiot Takagi for me."

"Yes, I understand!"

As he turned to leave, Chiba wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Takagi… you better take this seriously this time.

As much as he got along with Takagi, work was work.

If Takagi couldn't adapt to Division One, then he would have to go back to Traffic.

Two hours later, as the sun slowly rose, the women at the hot spring inn began to wake up one by one.

"Ugh…"

Sato Miwako, who had been sleeping near the entrance, was the first to stir.

She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes.

It took a moment for her mind to catch up with her surroundings.

"...Bedding?"

Her head was still hazy from sleep.

But then, a certain figure popped into her mind.

Was it him?

In this entire hot spring inn, aside from the security team, there was only one other person who could've carried her.

Amamiya Ren.

She exercised regularly and was fully aware of her own weight, she was heavier than most women her age due to her muscle mass.

Yet, he had carried her so effortlessly.

Sure enough, my instincts were right.

He gives off an older presence. Almost… like a father figure.

Sato pursed her lips.

Somehow, that makes it feel like he took advantage of me…

But at the same time…

Being taken care of like that wasn't a bad feeling.

Shaking her head, she pushed those thoughts aside and sat up fully.

There was no time for distractions.

She needed to contact Inspector Megure and report in.

Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed his number.

"Good morning, Inspector Megure."

"There were no issues at the hot spring inn last night. No attempted raids from the drug dealers."

Megure, who had been up all night, finally allowed himself to relax a little.

Good. At least the young ladies are safe.

With the drug cartel under control and no casualties on their side, this Tsukikage Island operation had been a success.

Now, they just needed to process the remaining criminals.

"Good work, Officer Sato."

"Yes, sir."

Miwako smiled slightly.

"Inspector, have all the drug dealers been captured?"

"The ringleaders from the community center have been arrested."

"Most of them have already confessed and provided details on their members. Right now, we're conducting blood tests on civilians to identify any remaining operatives."

Miwako nodded. "So the community center is secured… and what about the back mountain?"

A brief silence followed.

Then, Megure's voice came through, steady and deliberate.

"The back mountain… all the drug dealers there were eliminated."

"Our team is handling the cleanup."

Miwako paused, immediately understanding what he meant.

Megure was deliberately withholding details.

He wasn't doing it to deceive her, he just didn't want her to know.

And if that was the case…

Then it's something I shouldn't ask about.

She decided not to push further.

"Officer Sato, your assignment isn't over yet."

"You're still on guard duty until the operation is fully wrapped up."

"I'll have to trouble you to continue overseeing things on your end."

"Yes, sir."

As she ended the call, Miwako exhaled and lay back down for a moment.

Inspector Megure worked through the entire night…

And the back mountain…

If he was keeping it from her, that meant whatever had happened there was serious.

Something I'm better off not knowing.

Some things weren't meant to be dwelled on.

If she really wanted answers, she'd have to ask Megure directly when the time was right.

"You're awake?"

A familiar voice and the sound of approaching footsteps made her sit up.

Looking toward the source, Miwako's lips curled slightly.

Amamiya Ren.

She leaned on her hands and adjusted her position.

"Thanks for last night."

"Not last night," he corrected. "It was already morning."

He sat down next to her.

"We're heading back today."

"Tomorrow's Monday. Back to classes."

He glanced at her.

"Not exactly the weekend vacation you were expecting."

Miwako smirked.

"No kidding."

"Running into a bunch of drug dealers kind of ruins the whole 'relaxation' part of a hot spring trip."

Ren simply nodded.

This weekend had been anything but relaxing—drug dealers, supernatural entities, and constant danger.

But it hadn't been a waste.

In fact, Ren had gained quite a few benefits from this trip to Tsukikage Island.

He glanced at Sato Miwako.

"The Metropolitan Police Department won't have it easy for a while."

"The drug cartel was using Tsukikage Island as a gateway to Tokyo. Now that their operation has been exposed, law enforcement will likely start rooting out drug networks around the city one by one."

"And that kind of work… won't be resolved overnight. It's going to be a long-term effort."

"Right…"

Miwako shared the same thoughts.

She looked at the boy in front of her, recalling how Inspector Megure had deliberately concealed information earlier.

She hesitated for a moment but couldn't suppress her curiosity.

"…Do you know what really happened in the back mountain?"