Chapter 35: Investigating Righteousness, and the Newspaper of Justice

"Sato, how could you..."

"I'm sorry," Sato said, rubbing her head.

She had been too distressed by the events at dinner. Feeling completely helpless and unable to stop others from being persecuted by Masakazu, she had ended up drinking a glass of wine before she realized it.

But she had drunk it, and there was no use making excuses.

Yumi Miyamoto placed a hand on Sato's shoulder, quietly comforting her close friend.

"Come to think of it, why did that guy Masakazu report you when he doesn't even follow traffic rules himself?" Yumi asked, puzzled.

"Maybe he was caught by you once and has genuinely repented," Sato joked.

Miyamoto shook her head. "Impossible. You didn't see his arrogant face back then. That guy is definitely incapable of repentance."

Sato just shook her head.

Deep down, she suspected that her own actions had made Masakazu feel uncomfortable, prompting him to issue a small warning. If she didn't heed his advice, she feared she might be met with a 'suicide' of her own. Not wanting to worry Yumi, she kept these thoughts to herself.

"Alright, I should head back to the police station. I still have to face internal disciplinary action," Sato said listlessly.

"I'll drive you back."

...

"Superintendent, this is a report submitted from below. Please take a look."

"Just leave it on my desk."

"Yes, sir."

Kiyonaga Matsumoto picked up the report, glanced at it, and frowned deeply.

It was a formal accusation against Masakazu Sumitomo, alleging that he slaughtered the innocent, committed serial murders to achieve his goals, and that someone within the Metropolitan Police Department was shielding him, leading to many innocent deaths.

This was an incredibly serious accusation.

However, after a moment of thought, Matsumoto recalled who Masakazu Sumitomo was; one had to be very careful when dealing with someone of his background. Yet, it seemed he hadn't received any notification to grant him special treatment. Furthermore, the person who submitted this report was not someone who could be easily brushed aside.

So, was Masakazu Sumitomo really killing people at will?

Matsumoto picked up the telephone on his desk. "This is Kiyonaga Matsumoto. Have Megure come to my office immediately."

A moment later, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in."

"Superintendent Matsumoto, you sent for me?"

...

"Sit down."

Once Megure sat down, Matsumoto asked, "Do you know a man named Masakazu Sumitomo?"

"Uh, I know a little about him."

Matsumoto looked at Megure, signaling him to continue.

Inspector Megure deliberated before saying, "Masakazu Sumitomo is a scion of a financial conglomerate who returned to the country to start a business. However, his luck seems a bit too good; anyone who has a business conflict with him ends up dead in an 'accident.' As a result, he has been summoned by the police many times. But he doesn't have the typical airs of a conglomerate heir and is quite cooperative with police work. Moreover, there isn't a shred of evidence that he has committed murder or hired others to do so."

He was as pure as driven snow, just purely lucky.

Matsumoto frowned as he listened.

'Lucky,' is it?

If things were as Megure described, it couldn't be explained away by mere luck; there was definitely something wrong. Once or twice could be called luck, but this had happened several times.

"Investigate Masakazu," Matsumoto commanded. "See if his 'luck' is truly just luck."

His luck had reached an alarming level; it had to be investigated. Otherwise, it would cause significant damage to his own reputation and that of the police force.

"Yes, sir!" Inspector Megure stood up and saluted.

"Alright, sit down."

Matsumoto gestured for him to sit, then offered a slight smile. "I'd like to talk to you about a private matter. My daughter is getting married soon, and you must come to the wedding."

"Sayuri is getting married? Then I will certainly be there," Megure replied.

...

"This report cannot be published."

"Why!?" A young reporter looked at the elderly editor-in-chief with anger and confusion.

The editor-in-chief just shook his head. "As you wrote in your report, that man is ruthless. If you don't want to end up 'committing suicide,' this report cannot go out."

Truly, ignorance is bliss.

The influence of the Sumitomo conglomerate in Japan exceeded anything the young man could imagine. To publish such blatant dirt on a direct descendant of the family—the reporter might not care about his own life, but the newspaper did. Being confronted by them was a minor concern; the real fear was that they wouldn't even bother to communicate with you first.

The young reporter still had the fire of youth in his blood. He looked at his report and felt even more indignant.

"Do you think that just because you don't publish this content, the public won't know about the ugliness of the conglomerates?" the young reporter said.

The editor-in-chief shook his head and said flatly, "Even the police say that Young Master Masakazu has never killed anyone. Your report constitutes misinformation, and our newspaper will not allow it to be published."

Putting these things in the newspaper was useless. Did he really think the public's scorn and hatred would make someone repent or change? Nothing of the sort would happen. It would have no impact on them at all.

"Hmph! If you won't report it here, there are certainly places that will. Justice will prevail!" The reporter threw his press badge on the ground and stormed out without looking back.

The editor-in-chief watched the young man's retreating figure and sneered. This society would soon teach him how things really worked.

After leaving the newspaper office, the reporter pulled a paper out of his pocket.

*The Daily Justice*. Its mission was to expose the darkness and reveal the truths other papers were afraid to touch, upholding the public's right to know and social justice. This was the dream publication for any journalist. Because other media outlets were afraid to report on Masakazu, this paper alone had dared to do so, which was why it had risen so quickly. It always managed to capture explosive photos. For instance, the recent photo of Kogoro Mouri accepting money from Masakazu at the Metropolitan Police Department had been broken by this very paper.

"Hello, how can I join your staff?"

The editor-in-chief looked at the young reporter. "Our paper covers dangerous stories. You might face threats. Can you accept that?"

"I can!" the reporter said firmly.

The editor-in-chief continued, "Our newspaper values young people most. They possess a fearless drive—they are brave, bold, eager to pursue the truth, and daring enough to expose darkness. But those who have grown older, after struggling in this industry for so long, have mostly lost the integrity that a journalist should have. They become sophisticated and slick, only knowing how to bow and scrape in the face of so-called power, completely losing the backbone a journalist must possess. Therefore, we have an unwritten rule: employees must voluntarily resign after reaching the age of 35. Now, I ask you, can you accept this rule?"

"Even if I reach 35, I will never lose the heart for justice that a journalist should have," the young reporter said.

The editor-in-chief shook his head.

"No one knows what the future holds."

"Then I am willing to accept it—I will voluntarily resign after 35!"