After pushing the door open, Juzo Megure surveyed the occupants of the room.
Currently, five figures were seated around the central sofa in the not particularly spacious office.
On the left sofa sat two middle-aged men in suits.
The square-jawed man with a scar across his right eye on the left was Superintendent Kiyonaga Matsumoto, Juzo Megure's superior's superior.
To his right sat a white-haired man with a full beard, his right eye completely obscured by a black lens covering burn scars - Manager Hyoue Kuroda, Juzo Megure's direct superior.
Having these two heavyweights present was headache enough for Juzo Megure, but even more troublesome was the golden-haired woman sitting opposite them at the centre of the sofa, casually smoking in front of two high-ranking Metropolitan Police Department officials.
Kirika Tachibana, Director of the SDS, held a rank two levels higher than Kiyonaga Matsumoto.
'She's not even half my age...' Juzo Megure thought with a tinge of melancholy as he averted his gaze from Tachibana and instead focused on the young man seated to her right—the one who had nearly made him lose his composure with a single greeting.
No, more accurately, a teenager.
The boy had neatly trimmed black hair and strikingly handsome features, the kind that could easily debut as an idol.
Since Megure entered the room, the boy had been wearing a friendly smile.
'But... what the hell was that "Megure boy" nonsense?'
'I'm old enough to be your father... At least call me Inspector...'
Suppressing his inner grumbling, Megure stepped inside and saluted Tachibana, Matsumoto, and Hyoue Kuroda in order of rank.
Naturally, he skipped Luo Shu, who was also an inspector, and Kisara, who was in civilian clothes and whom Megure didn't recognise at all.
Behind him, Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi followed suit, saluting in turn.
Takagi, the lowest in rank, hurriedly closed the door before standing at the back with his head bowed, clearly bracing for a reprimand.
After saluting, Megure remained standing near the entrance and addressed the group on the sofa:
"Juzo Megure reporting for duty. Awaiting instructions."
"Megure."
Kiyonaga Matsumoto, whose face bore a resemblance to a yakuza boss, spoke first. He glanced at Megure, then at Luo Shu, who seemed in high spirits, and asked:
"You know Director Luo?"
Hearing this, Megure's heart skipped a beat.
Though he had no idea how Luo Shu, who had been an inspector just last week, had been promoted to director, he immediately understood Matsumoto's implication—why was a frontline inspector like him associating with SDS personnel?
'Good grief... Did Director Luo's earlier remark make it seem like I've defected in the eyes of my superiors?'
Cold sweat broke out on Megure's forehead. He wanted to clear his name, but he feared that any explanation might only deepen their suspicions.
Just as Megure was growing increasingly tense, Takagi suddenly blurted out:
"Ah, isn't this Inspector Luo, the one we mistakenly arrested last time? How did he become a director?"
The moment Takagi spoke, Matsumoto and Kuroda frowned in unison.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu, seated across from them, cheerfully greeted Takagi:
"Hey there, Takagi, boy! Didn't expect to see you here, too."
"Boy?" Takagi was dumbfounded. Was calling people "boy" some new trend among superiors?
While Takagi was stunned, Megure mentally gave him a thumbs-up.
'Nice save, Takagi, boy. You're a real lifesaver.'
On the other hand, Matsumoto and Kuroda, hearing Luo Shu's familiar address, began to suspect that he might share Megure's peculiar habit of calling people "boy."
After all, Megure's tendency to address colleagues and subordinates as "boy" was no secret within the Metropolitan Police Department.
If Luo Shu had the same quirk, well... that wouldn't be too strange.
Realising he might have overreacted, Matsumoto cleared his throat and shot Takagi a stern look:
"Mind your manners, Sergeant Takagi. This is Luo Shu, Director Luo.
"After silencing his subordinate's impolite remarks, Kiyonaga Matsumoto turned to Kirika Tachibana and asked:
"It seems there was some minor misunderstanding between Director Luo and our investigation team earlier."
Matsumoto wasn't unaware of Luo Shu's wrongful arrest incident. He hadn't anticipated that Luo Shu's sudden address of "Megure boy" would make everyone overly sensitive.
After all, if SDS really started recruiting from frontline officers, it would cause significant discomfort for senior officials like them.
Hearing Matsumoto's words, Kirika exhaled a smoke ring and calmly replied:
"Just a minor friction. We share some responsibility, too - who told this kid to go out without his credentials?"
Beside her, Luo Shu couldn't help but retort at Kirika shifting blame onto him:
"Hey now, it's not that I didn't bring them - the credentials hadn't even been issued that day! Who knows what position you arranged for me anyway?"
At this, Juzo Megure, Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi all twitched visibly.
Credentials not ready? Did that mean this person wasn't even part of the police system last week?
From civilian to police inspector in one week, then director...
They stole glances at Matsumoto and Hyoue Kuroda's expressions, finding them completely unfazed.
In that moment, Megure, Sato and Takagi finally understood what it meant to be the Metropolitan Police Department's emperor.
This person didn't play by their rules!
At least career-track officers entered through national exams and needed 1-2 years before becoming directors. This guy did it in a week...
Nearly fifty-year-old Megure felt tears of envy welling up.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu - having just shattered Megure's faith in the police hierarchy - added meaningfully:
"Speaking of which, the Metropolitan Police Department's credential processing efficiency could use some improvement."
Hearing this criticism, the standing trio's expressions turned awkward. Surprisingly, Matsumoto responded with complete seriousness:
"Director Luo makes a valid point. I'll ensure proper reforms are implemented."
His earnest acceptance made Luo Shu study him more closely.
At that moment, Matsumoto tilted his head slightly and met Luo Shu's gaze.
Their eyes locked briefly before disengaging.
'Old fox,' Luo Shu thought.
'Little troublemaker,' Matsumoto grumbled internally.
After the exchange, Luo Shu smiled and said, "Then Director Matsumoto should conduct thorough reforms indeed."
Truthfully, Luo Shu's meteoric promotion history alone was enough to give senior officers like Matsumoto hypertension medication.
So he didn't push further, smoothly transitioning to business:
"I hear Megure boy is leading the crematorium corpse theft case investigation?"
'Who's your 'Megure boy'?!' The inspector silently raged, feeling his identity as a devoted younger brother enthusiast had been trampled.
But facing Luo Shu, however angry, he could only answer:
"That's correct, Director Luo."
Opposite Luo Shu, Matsumoto merely raised an eyebrow before explaining:
"Megure is indeed one of the officers in charge of the corpse theft cases. His First Division's Unit handles all related crime scenes. Oh, by the way, Megure, you've completed the reports on those cases, haven't you?"
'Damn it.' Juzo Megure's heart sank upon hearing this. He couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead as he stammered, "Well... actually..."
Before Megure could finish his excuse, a knock sounded at the door.
"Pardon the interruption."
A middle-aged inspector who had previously communicated with Megure entered, his expression solemn but eyes betraying a hint of schadenfreude as he reported:
"Um... an investigator from the Ministry of the Environment Disaster Countermeasures Office has arrived unexpectedly and requests an immediate meeting with Superintendent Matsumoto."
Hearing this, Kirika Tachibana narrowed her eyes with an amused expression, turning towards Kiyonaga Matsumoto, who looked genuinely surprised:
"Disaster Countermeasures Office? Since when did those stray dogs develop such sharp noses?"
Faced with this remark, Matsumoto immediately put on a kindly smile that contrasted sharply with his yakuza-boss-like face:
"Perhaps it's because it's springtime."