"Haha, sorry to trouble you, Doctor. His injury isn't serious, right?"
Megure looked at the doctor who was bandaging Toru and asked.
The doctor glanced at him, continued bandaging with the nurse, and said, "It's nothing serious. Just apply some medicine and keep it dry. It'll scab over in a few days, and it won't leave a scar."
Megure was stunned and asked nervously, "Just medicine? Are you sure it doesn't need stitches?"
He knew that Toru had been stabbed while protecting innocent people.
Even if it didn't hit a vital point, it should still require stitches, right?
The doctor gave him a strange look and replied impatiently, "I've treated countless injuries like this. I trust my medical skills. This is a minor wound."
"Alright, Officer, if there's nothing else, please step aside. I still have a lot of patients to see."
Megure quickly smiled apologetically. "You're right, Doctor. Please continue."
Then, he asked Toru tentatively, "Fujiwara-kun, would it be okay for us to head to the hospital's conference room? We have a few questions to ask."
"Uh, of course, if you're not feeling well, you can rest first."
Megure didn't dare offend Toru now.
Not because he knew Toru's identity, but because of what Toru had done.
Right now, Toru was definitely a national hero, someone everyone would revere.
If he offended him, he'd be buried under a mountain of public backlash.
"I'm fine. Cooperating with the police is my duty. Where are we going?"
Seeing Toru so cooperative, Megure's mood lifted. He smiled and said, "There's a conference room upstairs. We'll go there."
Toru glanced at the Yukinoshita sisters.
Megure was quick to catch on. "These two girls can go with you. They're eyewitnesses. We can take their statements too."
The Yukinoshita sisters immediately followed.
Especially Yukino, who wasn't as strong or brave as she liked to think she was.
Everything that happened at the library was still fresh in her mind. Even now, recalling it made her feel a chill all over.
Only when she stayed near Toru did she feel secure.
Also, those drugs she saw hidden among the books, could they be related to the attack?
As smart as she was, she instantly made the connection.
But she didn't tell the police. She planned to tell Toru privately when no one else was around.
At this moment, she didn't trust the police at all. Only Toru.
Haruno noticed how closely Yukino stuck to Toru. Maybe even Yukino herself hadn't realized how much she relied on him.
Haruno frowned, feeling an odd frustration rise in her chest.
She muttered inwardly, This isn't good. Yukino, you have to be independent. You can't rely on your sister and also on Fujiwara-kun. That's childish.
"Here they come, here they come, that's him!"
The moment Toru and Megure stepped out of the treatment room, a group of reporters by the stairs spotted him and grew visibly excited.
Megure barked authoritatively, "This is a hospital, and there are still many injured here. You reporters better behave yourselves. If anything happens, don't blame us if the patients' families sue you."
One sentence was enough to silence them.
No matter how badly they wanted an interview, no one dared cause a scene in a hospital.
When they reached the conference room upstairs, Megure said, "Old brother, you might not know, but someone uploaded the video from the scene. You're completely famous now."
"From now on, you probably won't have any peace. Reporters will chase you nonstop. Based on my experience, don't answer every question just because you see a mic. If you seem too approachable, they'll keep coming."
"You can just pick one reporter for an exclusive interview and reject the rest, so your daily life doesn't get affected."
"If they still cause trouble, let your lawyer sue them. Right now, you'll win every case."
That was the wisdom of experience.
"Oh, right, your lawyer is already here, waiting for you. I forgot to mention that earlier."
Just as he said that, Toru and the Yukinoshita sisters arrived at the conference room with Megure.
Inside, Eri Kisaki sat there in a women's suit, hair up in a tight bun, radiating the aura of a strong woman.
"Ms. Kisaki, why are you here?"
Toru greeted her politely.
Normally stern, Eri smiled when she saw him. "I'm now Fujiwara-kun's exclusive lawyer, so of course I had to be the first one here."
"I saw the video. What you did was admirable, but you need to take care of your own safety too. Don't be reckless."
Her tone carried a trace of concern.
Toru replied, "I'm not that noble. I didn't save those people out of pure goodwill. I had my own reasons. Those thugs wanted to hurt my friends. I had no choice."
At those words, the Yukinoshita sisters gently bit their lips.
They knew Toru had stepped in to protect them, even taking a knife wound for it.
Eri looked at the two girls and sighed silently. They were really beautiful.
"Fujiwara-kun, when the police ask questions later, don't say a word. Leave everything to me."
Her tone turned serious. She gestured for Toru to sit, then looked down at Megure with the composure of a top-tier attorney.
Yukino felt a jolt of envy in her heart.
This was the kind of woman she dreamed of becoming.
"Ms. Kisaki, we're just following procedure. It's just a simple statement."
Megure was quite familiar with Eri. After all, Kogoro Mouri had been his subordinate. Naturally, he knew his ex-wife too.
"I can't just take your word for it. People died in this incident. We have to be careful."
Eri adjusted her glasses coldly.
Megure let out a helpless sigh. The police force's reputation had hit rock bottom.
He said, "That was definitely self-defense. He'll receive the Red Ribbon Medal for bravery."
The Red Ribbon Medal is a rare honor in Japan, awarded to those who risk their lives to save others.
Recipients are respected by all of Japanese society.
But Eri wasn't interested in that. She said firmly, "I'm responsible for my client. Nothing more, nothing less."
Seeing her unshakable stance, Megure could only smile awkwardly. He signaled to Miwako to come over for the questioning.
I can't win against Eri Kisaki. But I can at least have a female detective handle this.
This was just a routine process anyway. The main goal was to get a firsthand account of what happened.
And with the video as evidence, Toru didn't even need to be very detailed. A rough outline would do.
If there was anything he didn't want to say, he could just claim nervousness or memory loss. That would be enough.
Eri listened carefully to every police question and only allowed Toru to answer after confirming it posed no risk.
After all, this time, people had died. And many of the attackers were killed by Toru himself. Some explanation was necessary.
Toru answered every question truthfully and thoroughly.
After him, the officers questioned the Yukinoshita sisters.
Eri smiled and said to Toru, "They're not my clients, but for your sake, I'll act as their lawyer free of charge."
Haruno thanked her repeatedly.
She was the sociable type and quickly struck up a rapport with Eri. In just a few words, they were chatting and laughing together.
By contrast, Yukino stood awkwardly to the side, unable to find an opening to join the conversation.
Just then, the door to the conference room was suddenly thrown open.
Megure frowned and turned to look. Who is so disrespectful, barging in like this?
But when he saw who it was, his heart skipped a beat. He stood up quickly and bowed. "Commissioner Hakuba!"
Hakuba was a slightly overweight middle-aged man, about the same height as Megure, with the look of someone who lived a life of comfort.
He nodded to Megure and Miwako Sato, then walked straight over to Toru. With a serious expression, he bowed ninety degrees.
"On behalf of all officers in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, I express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Fujiwara!"
Outside the room, countless reporters were peeking in.
Seeing this scene, they raised their cameras and snapped photos frantically.
Hakuba bowed for three full seconds. Only after the cameras had finished flashing did he straighten up.
He was a capable officer, no doubt about that.
But Japan had many capable officers. To reach the position of Commissioner, equivalent to the Director of Public Safety, one also needed political savvy.
Hakuba knew full well the Japanese police force had lost the public's trust. He was under intense pressure.
So at this moment, he had to humble himself, shift attention to Toru, and win over public opinion.
Only by doing so could he reduce public focus on the police's failure and minimize the damage to their reputation.
Megure was stunned. The Commissioner had completely lowered himself.
Seeing that, every officer who valued their job had no choice but to follow.
One after another, they performed deep bows in front of Toru, nearly kneeling.
Hakuba then leaned over and whispered in Megure's ear, "This Fujiwara Toru used to live in America. He's the adopted son of the current CIA Director. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office just contacted us to confirm the details."
Hearing "Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office" and "CIA Director's son," Megure felt a chill down his spine.
Bang!
Just then, another person burst through the door.
Hakuba's face darkened.
Who dares to interrupt again? Don't they see I'm here?
Even if things were messy now, he was still the Commissioner.
Just like Megure earlier, he turned to look with irritation.
But when he saw who it was, he nearly jumped in shock.
He instantly mimicked Megure's reaction and stood aside like a subordinate.
"Chairman Fujiwara, why are you here!"
(To be continued.)