Metropolitan Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, First Investigative Section Office.
Inspector Juzo Megure, a portly man dressed in an orange suit with a matching hat, held a cup of coffee while frowning slightly at the documents in his hand.
"Inspector Megure, here's your sandwich."
The ever-obliging Wataru Takagi approached with an armful of breakfast items purchased for colleagues, placing Megure's sandwich on the desk before him.
"Ah, just put it there, Takagi-kun."
Megure glanced at Takagi and gestured to his desk before continuing:
"By the way, Takagi-kun, you were involved in the crime scene investigation for yesterday's crematorium arson case, weren't you?"
Takagi, who'd been about to leave with his armful of breakfasts, stopped in his tracks at this question.
"Ah, yes, I was present. Police Sergeant Sato was initially in charge of the scene, but then the Senior officers from the Special Organised Crime Division arrived and took over the investigation. Is there a problem with the report?"
Takagi guessed this might be the case upon seeing the documents in Megure's hands. He'd contributed to the report himself, though his input was minimal as he'd only participated in the preliminary investigation.
"Ah, Sato handled the scene..." Megure was well aware of Miwako Sato's capabilities. "Call Sato over. Oh, and Takagi-kun – you contributed to this report too, didn't you?"
"Ah, yes." Takagi scratched his head awkwardly, fully aware of how poorly written the report was.
"Then you'd better stay and listen in too."
"Understood. I'll fetch Sergeant Sato immediately."
Soon after, Takagi returned with Miwako Sato in tow.
Still somewhat drowsy from working late the previous night, Sato stifled a yawn as she asked:
"Inspector Megure, is something wrong?"
Megure glanced around and noticed numerous colleagues turning their attention towards Sato. Clearing his throat pointedly, he waited until the curious gazes had dispersed before lowering his voice:
"This arson case investigation report... well... I need you to prepare a proper one for me."
"A proper report?" Sato's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this unexpected instruction.
Beside her, Takagi looked equally shocked.
Wasn't this essentially fabricating records? Since when did the usually by-the-book Inspector Megure engage in such practices?
"Shh! Keep your voice down."
Megure pressed a finger to his lips, signalling Sato to lower her volume before whispering:
"This comes from Manager Kuroda."
The Manager Kuroda he referred to was the commanding officer of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division – Megure's direct superior.
"Manager Kuroda?" Sato immediately sensed something amiss.
First, their crematorium arson case had been abruptly handed over to the Special Organised Crime Division – jokingly referred to internally as the "Yakuza Squad" – yesterday. Now they were being instructed to falsify investigation records, with the order coming from above? This was highly unusual.
Noticing Sato's troubled expression, Takagi quickly realised her investigative instincts would compel her to demand answers. Given Megure's current demeanour, this clearly fell under classified information they weren't meant to question. He hurriedly interjected:
"So, should we just prepare the arson case investigation report as usual, Inspector Megure?"
"Exactly, that's right!" Juzo Megure's eyes lit up as he gave Wataru Takagi an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "I'll leave this matter to you then, Takagi! Make sure it's well done."
"Understood." Wataru Takagi awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, then noticed Miwako Sato's sharp gaze from the side.
Oh dear... Had he done something wrong?
After glaring at Takagi, Sato immediately turned to Megure and asked:
"Inspector Megure, why did Manager Kuroda issue such an order?"
Recognising Sato's strong sense of justice, Megure knew he needed to provide a reasonable explanation. He lowered his voice:
"There's a rumour going around. Just take it with a grain of salt, alright?"
Sato and Takagi exchanged glances before nodding in unison:
"We understand."
In the Metropolitan Police Department, "just a rumour" usually meant the truth - an open secret among veterans like themselves.
"Apparently, a division directly under the Ministry of Environment demanded our detailed report on the crematorium arson case. Manager Kuroda and the others weren't pleased about their interference, so he told me to just... go through the motions. You get it?"
Hearing this, even Sato understood Megure's approach, let alone Takagi.
"The Ministry of Environment..." Sato's expression now showed shared indignation.
Even cross-departmental investigations within the police could spark resistance, let alone dealing with those Environment Morons they constantly clashed with.
"I recall there were some... shortcomings in the crematorium arson case report. Don't worry, Inspector Megure, we'll handle it promptly."
Seeing Sato's benign smile, Megure felt reassured. "Then I'll leave it to you two. Submit the report quickly - Manager Kuroda's pushing for it."
As Juzo Megure's words fell, a middle-aged colleague suddenly appeared at the doorway and quickly approached him, lowering his voice:
"Inspector Megure, Manager Kuroda wants to know if you've finished compiling those reports?"
"Wasn't the deadline tonight?" Juzo Megure's heart skipped a beat, sensing something significant was about to happen.
"There's no time." The inspector's expression turned uneasy. "They're already here."
Juzo Megure stared blankly. "That's impossible. We'd know immediately if anyone from the Ministry of Environment left headquarters."
"It's not those idiots from the Ministry of Environment."
The middle-aged inspector didn't dispute Megure's words, but his face darkened:
"It's someone more troublesome."
"Who? The Onmyou Agency?" Juzo Megure's eyes widened.
"More troublesome than the Onmyou Agency," the inspector emphasised.
"Then... it must be direct envoys from the Cabinet!!" Juzo Megure bit his hand in shock.
"Even more troublesome," the inspector stressed.
Juzo Megure's face went completely pale:
"More than that? Then it must be those mad dogs from SDS?"
Nearby, Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi watched this exchange in stunned silence, thoroughly confused.
"We're done for... the reports aren't ready." Juzo Megure slumped into his chair. "A momentary lapse has caused this mess."
Seeing this, the middle-aged inspector could only sigh. SDS's arrival was unexpected - at least Ministry of Environment officials would have been easier to handle:
"Not ready? Then we'll just have to improvise."
"Who was the field supervisor last night?"
Juzo Megure immediately turned his gaze to Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi, his expression resigned:
"At this point, Sato, Takagi, you'll have to come with me. Let's just hope we don't get chewed out too badly this time."
Miwako Sato and Wataru Takagi:
"?!!"