Chapter 47: The Proposal to Seal the Building

Inspector Megure is forty-two years old and currently serves as the Section Chief of the Thirteenth Division of the First Investigative Division within the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Metropolitan Police Department. He is a non-career-track officer. His full name is Sota Megure, born in Chiba Prefecture. At the age of twenty-two, he passed the civil service examination for the Tokyo metropolitan regional division, starting from the rank of a patrol officer. He climbed the ranks step by step until he finally earned a place in the prestigious First Investigative Division, which speaks volumes about his professional competence.

In his early years, Inspector Megure was a notorious workaholic, combining daring with strategy. While the current Superintendent General, Eiji Watanabe, was still serving as the Chief of the First Investigative Division, they met through a high-profile pedestrian bridge murder case. Eiji Watanabe deeply appreciated the capable officer from the regional division and pulled strings to transfer him to the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters, specifically into the First Investigative Division.

Few non-career-track criminal investigators who manage to rise from regional divisions to the Metropolitan Police Department are mere slackers, and Inspector Megure was certainly no exception. With just a brief mental connection, a terrifying hypothesis flashed through his mind.

Among the three possibilities, two could actually be ruled out immediately.

Japan's waste sorting and recycling system is exceptionally advanced. Although the Odaiba building did not implement direct on-site sorting, sneaking an adult female into a garbage bag and carrying her out of the building was virtually impossible. First of all, the building's property management inspects and sorts all trash bags. Secondly, when the garbage is sent to the incineration plant, the processing staff inspect it once more.

Nearly four days had passed; if anything had been discovered, it would have blown wide open by now.

The next possibility was that she had been smuggled out of the building stuffed inside a large suitcase.

While not entirely out of the question, upon closer reflection, the operational difficulty was astronomically high. Unless Ms. Hiromi Mariko had been chopped up into multiple pieces... which was even more absurd, as there were neither suitable locations nor tools for such an act. The Odaiba building was neither a lumber mill nor a slaughterhouse!

Thus, the inescapable conclusion rushed to the surface: news anchor Hiromi Mariko had never left the Odaiba building at all. Instead, without being captured by a single security camera, she had remained hidden in some forgotten corner of the Odaiba building for a full four days.

Inspector Megure, a veteran with twenty years of casework under his belt, was now drenched in cold sweat.

The situation was dire—extremely dire!

"Kazama!" Inspector Megure immediately barked orders. "Take a team to the incineration plant right now. Search all the trash discarded from the Odaiba building starting from Friday up until today!"

"Understood!"

"Kosuge!"

"Here!"

"Immediately gather all entry and log sheets for the Odaiba building from Friday to the present. Check for any suspicious individuals entering or leaving, especially anyone carrying oversized luggage."

"Understood."

"Notify Ms. Hiromi Mariko's family at once!" Inspector Megure made his judgment with a calm yet heavy tone. "Also, please notify President Kameyama!"

"The Metropolitan Police Department demands that the entire Odaiba building be placed under total lockdown starting right now!"

"What?" The head of Fuji TV's security department turned pale green the moment he heard the demand. "Inspector, can't this be reconsidered? Locking down the building is a massive deal!"

"I am not asking for your opinion!" Inspector Megure gritted his teeth. "I am informing you. Fetch President Kameyama immediately; we demand a building lockdown! Do it now. I am going to watch you make that phone call, right this second!"

"As for the rest of you, secure all entrances and exits of the television station. Notify headquarters immediately—we need reinforcements." Inspector Megure placed his hands behind his back and issued calm instructions.

"Yes!" A chorus of suits echoed around him. One of the detectives hesitated for a few seconds before asking, "Should we also notify the local police precinct?"

"Well..." Inspector Megure frowned as he glanced at the time on the surveillance monitor. It was already past six in the evening; the guys at the regional precinct would definitely have gone home by now. Summoning them at this hour would undoubtedly draw a torrent of grumbles and simmering resentment.

"We must request assistance from the local precinct!" After a brief moment of reflection, Inspector Megure made his decision.

This was no time for self-preservation. The First Investigative Division was the final line of defense for the entirety of Tokyo. If they refused to act, who else would?

This was the responsibility of the First Investigative Division, and it was the honor of the Metropolitan Police Department!

Inspector Megure straightened the Metropolitan Police Department pin on his lapel. "Begin now!"

Left with no other choice, the head of the security department dialed the phone of Fuji TV's President, Mr. Kameyama.

Before long, President Kameyama himself rushed down to the security department. He was a man in his fifties with a relatively thick head of hair, wearing tinted aviator glasses and sporting slightly graying sideburns. In appearance, he bore a faint resemblance to a frog.

President Kameyama's attitude upon arrival was fiercely confrontational. "Who authorized the demand to lock down the building?"

"It was me." Facing the head of one of the top two commercial television networks in the country, and looking at the swarm of executives trailing behind him, Inspector Megure instantly felt the immense weight of the pressure.

A mere inspector was a dime a dozen in Tokyo—there were easily eight hundred of them. But standing opposite him was the entire executive upper echelon of a major television network: six bureau chiefs of production, two members of the board of directors, one senior managing director, and President Kameyama himself, the representative director of the broadcaster.

"Out of the question!" President Kameyama's response was entirely predictable. "What kind of a joke is this? You want to lock down the entire Odaiba building just because one person went missing?"

"Which division of the Metropolitan Police Department are you from? What is your name, and what is your badge number?" The senior managing director behind President Kameyama stepped forward.

"Are you completely unaware of what a building lockdown will do to this station? Who is going to compensate us for our losses?" One of the production bureau chiefs chimed in angrily. "An investigation is an investigation, but do you intend to bring the entire Odaiba facility to a complete halt just for the sake of an inquiry?"

"Exactly. Show some moderation in your investigations."

"Are you trying to ruin Kanto Broadcasting? Kora!"

The representatives of Fuji TV erupted in a wave of uproar.

"Gentlemen of the Metropolitan Police Department, we deeply regret Ms. Hiromi Mariko's disappearance, and I have already instructed the security department to cooperate fully with your search. However, as for the demand to lock down the building, please forgive us, but we cannot agree," President Kameyama shook his head repeatedly. "This will make the entire broadcasting station the laughingstock of Tokyo. Since when can the police interfere with the internal operations of a television network?"

Inspector Megure maintained a solemn expression. First, he stated his name and badge number, then said in a deep voice, "President Kameyama, the Metropolitan Police Department has always held your network in high regard. We have collaborated extensively on numerous television dramas, and several of your bureau chiefs surely have experience filming on location at Sakuradamon. The headquarters' request to lock down the building is by no means targeted at your network."

Hearing this, the faces of the Fuji TV executives softened slightly.

"I only wish to ask: if your network chooses not to lock down the building, can you answer the headquarters one question?" Inspector Megure spoke slowly. "Where is Ms. Hiromi Mariko?"

"..." The muscles on President Kameyama's face twitched. He sniffed and said hesitantly, "Perhaps she went somewhere else? Or maybe... due to cold feet? After all, tomorrow is supposed to be her wedding day."

"President Kameyama, Ms. Hiromi's mother reported her missing as early as Friday, and headquarters acknowledges the strictness of your building's access monitoring systems," Inspector Megure said, pressing his advantage upon seeing Kameyama's hesitation. "If your network chooses to do nothing now, headquarters will have no choice but to assume this matter may involve your entire corporate entity. The disappearance of a regular employee will not only cause your staff to panic, but it will also deliver a devastating blow to your brand's reputation!"

"Furthermore..." Inspector Megure thought to himself that the timing was fortuitous, given that he had just met with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office alongside young Master Uesugi that very morning. "This matter might attract the intervention of the District Prosecutors Office due to potential commercial irregularities."

Every single word from Inspector Megure struck heavily upon the hearts of the Fuji TV executives. The bureau chiefs, directors, and managing directors exchanged suspicious glances. Among them, Senior Managing Director Takamatsu quietly whispered into President Kameyama's ear, "Kameyama, could it be you?"

"How is that even possible?!" President Kameyama shoved Takamatsu away in a fit of rage.

It was true that he was quite fond of Hiromi Mariko and frequently took her out to entertain clients, but he had no motive whatsoever to murder her!

He was innocent!

Yet would these directors and bureau chiefs believe him? Would the Metropolitan Police Department opposite them believe him? Would the prosecutors believe him? Would the whole of Tokyo believe him?

President Kameyama began to feel the crushing weight of the situation.

The Fuji TV executives had just been holding a meeting to discuss this exact issue earlier, and they genuinely had no idea where Hiromi Mariko had gone.

After a brief standoff, a security guard suddenly rushed in and whispered, "President, Ms. Hiromi's fiancé, Shimokawa Ren, and her mother have arrived. The section chief is currently receiving them... and things are getting a bit difficult."

President Kameyama's face instantly puckered up like a withered chrysanthemum.

Shimokawa Ren was the executive managing director of Tokyo Ota Real Estate and Hiromi Mariko's fiancé. They had gotten engaged last year, and their wedding date was set for—tomorrow.

The situation was growing increasingly convoluted. If they failed to clear their suspicions quickly and allowed an urban legend like "The Fuji TV Curse" to take root, it was hard to say whether Fuji TV would survive, but Kameyama himself was certainly finished!

Yet locking down the building was an undeniably monumental affair. Even if the Odaiba building were locked down in the dead of night, it would still instantly capture the attention of the entire Kanto broadcasting region!

However, if this matter was not resolved swiftly...

"We need to convene an extraordinary board meeting to discuss this," President Kameyama consulted with several directors and bureau chiefs before offering a tentative reply.

"Please do it as quickly as possible." Inspector Megure felt a wave of relief, knowing that Fuji TV's stance had softened.

"And another thing, you are not qualified to negotiate with me," President Kameyama shifted from defensive to offensive, lifting his chin. "Go back and report to the Metropolitan Police Department. Have them call me directly!"

"Naturally." In terms of status, Inspector Megure was indeed vastly inferior to President Kameyama.

Having temporarily staved off a total rejection by the police, the Fuji TV executives scrambled back together to deliberate on their next move.

The executives cross-referenced once more; indeed, not a single soul knew where Hiromi Mariko had gone. President Kameyama, in particular, felt his head splitting as he faced the distrustful glares of his directors and subordinates.

He truly didn't know, but nobody believed him!

Fuji TV truly didn't know, but the Metropolitan Police Department, the District Prosecutors Office, the family, and the entire city of Tokyo wouldn't believe it either!

With a fierce expression, President Kameyama stomped his foot in frustration, casting a bewildered and helpless look at everyone around him.

Finding her would be a disaster; failing to find her would also be a disaster.

Was there anything right with this world? Could anything go right for once?

"President, why don't you just turn yourself in?" a director suggested in a low voice.

"It has nothing to do with me! It genuinely has nothing to do with me, you bunch of idiots!" President Kameyama snapped, losing his composure slightly. "I don't know! I really don't know!"

"But you..." The executives wore deeply skeptical expressions.

The director who had offered the suggestion spoke again, "We can't actually let the Metropolitan Police Department come in and search, can we? What if they actually find something?"

"No, a building lockdown is strictly out of the question!" Another production bureau chief shook his head vehemently. "Putting everything else aside, the storage rooms of every production bureau are stuffed with off-the-books expense receipts. If we draw in the District Prosecutors Office, the losses will far outweigh any gains."

"But if we don't lock down the building, how are we supposed to prove our innocence?" an older director disagreed. "Besides, where on earth has Hiromi gone? If this isn't investigated and cleared up immediately, the Odaiba building is going to become a haunted house! Are you planning to destroy Fuji TV?"

"The fallout from this is catastrophic. If our network refuses the police investigation now, it's equivalent to admitting we have something to hide! What are we going to do if the prosecutors step in?"

The executives argued back and forth, each holding their ground with no consensus in sight.

"President," at that moment, Abiru Kazuhiko, one of the network's production bureau chiefs who had always maintained a relatively close relationship with Kameyama, suddenly had an idea. "Let's broadcast it live."

"What?" President Kameyama was momentarily baffled.

"As things stand, the situation has escalated to this point. Regardless of whether we lock down the building or not, our network will inevitably suffer the consequences," Bureau Chief Abiru said to the gathered executives. "The most crucial priority right now is to prove our network's innocence in this matter—to prove that Hiromi's disappearance has nothing to do with us. Otherwise, it will be a fatal blow to our brand and reputation!"

Everyone present nodded involuntarily.

"Are you saying you think we *should* lock down the building then?" President Kameyama frowned.

"That's right. We should lock down the building and agree to the police's request," Bureau Chief Abiru continued. "However... we must demand that the lockdown be accompanied by a live broadcast produced by our own network!"

A live broadcast?!

Before anyone could respond, Bureau Chief Abiru gestured for them to hear him out. "A lockdown is a terrible scenario. Gentlemen, I can guarantee you that the moment we agree to lock it down, the news vans of every other commercial network and NHK will park themselves right outside Odaiba Park to go live. Reporters from dozens of Tokyo newspapers will rush to the scene. Combined with the fact that the police have officially opened a case and the family has arrived, there is simply no way we can keep a lid on this!"

The Fuji TV executives grimaced in collective agony, yet they nodded in agreement.

"So, locking down is terrible, and not locking down is equally terrible. Why don't we use our consent to the lockdown as leverage to demand that the police allow our network to broadcast the entire process live?"

"All the other television stations are stuck outside the building and can't get in. Every viewer and reporter is desperate to know what on earth is happening and wants firsthand information. This is the ultimate golden opportunity to launch a live broadcast! President, we can broadcast live right from within the building. Furthermore, Hiromi Mariko is our own anchor; her personnel files, family, and fiancé are all right here inside the station."

The more Bureau Chief Abiru spoke, the more excited he became. "Footage that other stations can't air, Fuji TV will air. Firsthand material that other reporters can't get, Fuji TV will deliver through a live broadcast. This will become one of the highest-rated live broadcasts of this year—and perhaps in the entire history of Fuji TV!"

"More importantly, most crucially, a continuous live broadcast will prove our network's innocence! It will prove that our station truly knew nothing about this affair. At the same time, we can shadow the police investigation every step of the way, preventing them from dragging up unrelated matters and stopping them from employing backdoor investigative tactics."

"That's it!" President Kameyama's eyes lit up as realization struck.

The situation was already beyond redemption; they could only choose between a terrible outcome and an even worse one.

The head of the security department had already warned him that, given the strict security monitoring at the entrances and exits of the Odaiba building, Ms. Hiromi was likely beyond saving.

A building lockdown—good grief, look at where they were. They were one of the top two commercial networks among the Big Five. Even a lockdown in the middle of the night would be a mega-event, the kind that hits national headlines and shakes local politics.

The family had only lost a relative, but Fuji TV stood to lose the prestige of its entire corporate entity!

Under the circumstances, the smartest move was to turn waste into treasure—to squeeze every drop of residual value out of the lockdown event and Ms. Hiromi's disappearance while simultaneously proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Fuji TV was not implicated in the crime. It was killing two birds with one stone!

"Let's do it!" President Kameyama slammed his hand on the table. "Takamatsu, you go coordinate with the police. Abiru, you go prepare for the live broadcast. I'll notify Dentsu and Hakuhodo, and make sure the insurance companies are briefed as well!"

"Understood!"

Following half an hour of emergency deliberation, the Fuji TV executives finally reached their decision.

They would comply with the police demand to lock down the Odaiba building.

Simultaneously, Fuji TV's counter-demand was dispatched to Sakuradamon.

They demanded the right to broadcast the entire investigative process live!

Representatives from four parties—Fuji TV, the Metropolitan Police Department, Dentsu, Hakuhodo, and the hastily notified Nippon Life Insurance Company—would hold an emergency summit regarding the day's events.