Chapter 50: Tremors Across the Capital

At seven o'clock on a September evening, the Fuji Television Odaiba Building in Minato Ward, Tokyo, was brightly lit. Completed in 1997, this futuristic architectural masterpiece resembles the kanji character "凹" with a giant sphere embedded in its center. Its unique exterior—most notably the titanium ball wedged between two high-rise towers—gives it a highly magical and intensely cybernetic aesthetic.

It is said that the architect drew inspiration from the concept of "visionism," shaping the identity of one of the top two private television networks in Japan to showcase its decades of success and prominence.

Today, however, the events unfolding at Fuji TV have captured the entire gaze of Tokyo. Police cars are parked densely outside the Odaiba Building, and yellow crime scene tape ropes off all access points, strictly enforcing a one-way rule of entry only, with no departures allowed. Further out in the ground-level plaza and seaside park, even larger crowds have gathered. Some are onlookers drawn by the spectacle, some are television station employees, some belong to the entertainment industry, and others—naturally—are reporters from "rival networks."

The moment the news of the building's lockdown broke, the other television stations swarmed like sharks smelling blood in the water. NHK, NTV, Asahi, TBS, and even TV Tokyo—while broadcasting a Kamen Rider compilation episode—scrolled a news flash about the Fuji TV lockdown in the top right corner of the screen!

Outside, news vans were deployed in formation. An NHK female anchor, dressed in a grey suit jacket and skirt paired with 80-denier black opaque tights and stiletto heels, stood facing the camera. Staff members shouted cues in the background, and as the live broadcast went live, the anchor's long, wavy hair swayed in the chilly Odaiba night wind.

"Hello everyone, this is an emergency live broadcast from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. I am your on-site reporter, Sayuri Kyoguchi, and you are looking at the Fuji TV Odaiba Building behind me."

"According to reports from the scene, at around 6:00 PM today, the Fuji TV Odaiba Building was suddenly placed under lockdown for undisclosed reasons. Currently, more than three thousand people are trapped inside. The Metropolitan Police Department states that the lockdown is related to an ongoing incident, and negotiations with Fuji TV management have been concluded."

"The specific reasons for sealing off the building remain unknown, though it is reportedly linked to an investigation by the MPD. Our station will continue to provide live updates from the scene!"

The female reporter struggled to keep her posture straight against the wind.

She was not alone; not far away, identical news vans stood ready.

"Hello everyone, this is TBS Television..."
"NTV will continue to monitor this development."
"TV Asahi brings you this report."

The crowds surged. Amid the live broadcasts of the major networks, more people kept arriving at the scene. The NHK reporter was describing the sequence of events when the sound of distant sirens made her turn her head.

"A vehicle is arriving, please hold on..." Holding her microphone, the elite NHK journalist quickly identified the vehicle and spoke with absolute certainty: "Right before our eyes, we see reinforcements from the Metropolitan Police Department arriving. Judging by the license plate, this should be the Superintendent of the First Investigative Division, Superintendent Yohei Mikasa!"

"Superintendent Yohei Mikasa is a 'non-career track' officer who graduated from high school, yet he climbed all the way to the pinnacle of the First Investigative Division. Historically, Superintendent Mikasa possesses an exceptionally keen intuition for criminal cases. His personal arrival highlights the extreme severity of the situation."

In theory, the position of First Investigative Division Commander is held by non-career track officers—only the sharpest, most capable, and most proficient detectives rise to this seat. Not always, of course; for instance, the current Superintendent-General, Eiji Watanabe, briefly held the post. Regardless of who occupies it, however, this seat represents endless glory and serves as the public face of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The car door opened, and Superintendent Mikasa emerged slowly, dressed in a well-fitted Armani suit. His receding hairline, forming an M-shape, was partially concealed by a sparse tuft of bangs brushed forward. His small eyes flickered with tension. Beneath his bronze skin, his brows were set in a stern expression. Adjusting his suit jacket, the Division Commander cast a glance around. Seeing the sea of news vans and reporters, his footsteps grew even heavier. "What is the situation?"

"Inspector Himura from Division 13 and the Fuji TV security team are conducting a floor-by-floor search starting from the top. The waste disposal area yielded nothing of value. Our people are reviewing the security footage of incoming and exiting suspects one by one. The first-floor cafeteria has been requisitioned as our temporary command center. Commander, please follow me."

"Not enough. Notify all branch divisions in Minato Ward immediately to summon personnel; call in every slacking officer from the precinct. Also, order Fuji TV to produce the architectural blueprints at once. We need the complete structural design of the Odaiba Building."

Superintendent Mikasa clenched his fists tightly. During the ride over, he had already communicated with Fuji TV's upper management.

Japan Life Insurance had given them a strict three-hour window; any actions exceeding that timeframe would not be covered by insurance. Meanwhile, Dentsu and Hakuhodo, while not explicitly capping the search duration, had made their attitudes abundantly clear.

Could they just keep the Odaiba Building sealed indefinitely if they failed to find the person?

Obviously not!

Therefore, they had to locate the individual within three hours if possible. Failing that, they had to find the missing female anchor before midnight, or Fuji TV would be finished—and the Metropolitan Police Department would go down with it!

And yet, despite all this, FujiTV was still pushing forward with a live broadcast. Mikasa couldn't fathom what was going on inside the brains of these idiots!

"Kashiwa, you handle this." Superintendent Mikasa quickly pinned his hopes on another arriving inspector.

Jin Kashiwa, thirty years old, a criminal division inspector holding degrees from Chuo University and the University of Tokyo Graduate School. A career-track officer, he had been renowned across the entire police force since joining for his execution-style efficiency of "precision, action, and perfection." Furthermore, owing to his striking appearance and exceptional aptitude, police circles hailed him as the "Star Inspector."

The Metropolitan Police Department had deliberately nurtured him to be the public face of the force, assigning him to front major press interviews. This Chuo University graduate possessed the striking looks of an apex predator: a shock of tousled hair falling across his forehead, melancholic peach-blossom eyes flanking a high bridge of the nose. Even in a standard working suit, his dashing demeanor could not be contained.

Yet, despite his handsome looks, Jin Kashiwa’s personal life was remarkably clean. He had married two years ago to the previous "Face of the MPD"—Misa Kashiwa, an assistant inspector currently serving in the Equipment Section of the General Affairs Department.

"Understood." As a career-track officer, Kashiwa treated Superintendent Mikasa with respect, but he was far less courteous toward Inspector Himura, who had risen through the non-career ranks. "Far too complacent, Himura, failing to report this beforehand. Does he intend to ruin the First Division..."

"The missing person has a fiancé, doesn't she?" Superintendent Mikasa interrupted Kashiwa.

"Yes, Shimakawa, a senior executive at Ota Real Estate. The two are engaged, and if all goes smoothly, tomorrow was supposed to be their wedding day," the star inspector of the First Investigative Division replied coldly, his gaze fixed with absolute confidence on the brilliantly illuminated Odaiba Building against the night sky.

"Block off the surrounding streets."
"Division 3, investigate all associates of the missing person, especially the fiancé."
"Division 6, seal all entrances; nobody in, nobody out."
"Division 9, prepare to establish a temporary Special Investigation Headquarters."

"Yes!"

At that moment, witnessing the deployment of the MPD's First Investigative Division firsthand, the reporters from the major networks grew even more frenzied. Amid a forest of cameras and boom mics, the entire city of Tokyo began fixing its attention on the lockdown incident.

***

Inside the Odaiba Building.

"Understood, thank you very much."

Ikeda Eirina tucked her police notebook back into her pocket, while Soya Uesugi thanked the head of security.

Just as he had anticipated, when Eirina displayed her police notebook, the security division naturally assumed he was a police officer as well and repeated the details they had previously given to Inspector Himura.

Having grasped the specifics, Soya Uesugi and Ikeda Eirina stepped away, finding a quiet corner to discuss the information they had gathered.

Ms. Mariko Hiromon’s last recorded appearance on security cameras was a brief stay in a third-floor hallway on Friday afternoon. Afterward, her punch-in log showed that she had clocked out, but surveillance cameras covering all exits from Fuji TV captured no footage of her leaving the building.

Fuji TV maintained a meticulous visitor log. Over the four-day span from Friday to Monday, at least six thousand people had visited the building. The MPD was currently assigning personnel to vet their suspicions one by one. But given that scale, even if every officer from Minato Ward and the surrounding precincts came to help tomorrow morning, it would be impossible to clear them in five or six days.

Security insisted that all entry and exit points were heavily monitored, but areas of the television station involving privacy and commercial secrets lacked cameras. This explained why Inspector Himura and his team had started their search from the top floor.

Ikeda Eirina’s mind felt chaotic from processing so much information, forcing her to rely out of habit on Soya Uesugi: "Did you find anything?"

"Ikeda, look at this." Uesugi nodded, leading Eirina to the elevator lobby on that floor. "There are twenty-two cameras along the circular corridor on this floor. In theory, there are no blind spots. But... why do you think there's no camera in this particular spot?"

Eirina shot Uesugi a contemptuous look. "Because this spot is the restroom. Personal privacy is involved, so there are no cameras."

"Correct!" Uesugi nodded. "So, if I were to step out of the elevator, walk right past the restroom entrance, press myself against the wall to bypass the camera's blind spot into the stairwell, and then follow a specific sequence to dodge the camera lenses—wouldn't I be able to move around completely undetected?"

"Hey, you're right!" Eirina stared wide-eyed at the floor plan.

Uesugi, you've spotted a blind spot!

"Wait, didn't Himura and the others notice this?" Eirina frowned, feeling something was amiss. "If you could figure it out, why didn't they?"

"You're a dummy," Uesugi lowered his voice. "Because someone made sure they didn't get all the facts. I only figured out how to bypass the cameras by testing it myself. Didn't you notice? When I was reviewing the footage of our breakroom's floor just now, I specifically checked the playback of the corridor."

"I didn't." Eirina had a delayed realization. "Wait, you actually tested it yourself?"

"Yes. Himura and his team must have been told by security that the cameras cover virtually every corner of the station, save for restricted privacy and commercial zones. But nobody told them that if you simply memorize the placement of every camera, avoid all blind spots, and intentionally hug the restroom side, the cameras will never pick you up."

Uesugi cast a meaningful glance toward the upper floors. "Things are getting interesting. The security department didn't inform the First Division about this loophole. They are intentionally leading the division on a wild goose chase through the high-floor commercial and office areas."

"You mean Fuji TV doesn't want the police to know where Ms. Hiromon went? Is this a station-wide conspiracy?" Eirina widened her eyes, looking rather adorable.

"Oh please, Master Eirina, look outside." Uesugi was practically speechless at the tall beauty. He pointed through the window down at the street below. "Fuji TV wants to find out where Ms. Hiromon is more than anyone else! Otherwise, they'd never have agreed to a lockdown!"

"Then what on earth is going on?" Eirina thought: *Weren't you just saying Fuji TV was deliberately misleading the police, and now you're saying they want to find her? Isn't that a contradiction?* "Uesugi, stop talking in riddles. Just tell me straight: what should we do? What am I supposed to do?"

With that, the tall beauty gazed at Uesugi in eager anticipation, signaling with her eyes that he could begin his explanation.

"What I'm trying to say is... to be able to skillfully bypass all the camera blind spots in this building, you have to be an insider," Uesugi explained more explicitly. "And it wouldn't be top management. Judging by their attitude, upper management is desperately trying to prove their innocence. But they probably sensed something and are trying their utmost to sever ties with the incident, hoping the police won't catch on."

"Therefore, after Ms. Hiromon was last captured on surveillance, she definitely didn't head upstairs."

Uesugi dragged his finger down the floor numbers. "The most likely direction is downstairs."

Following his gaze, Ikeda Eirina shifted her eyes downward from the third floor.

The first floor was the grand lobby; the second floor housed general administration. Both zones experienced heavy foot traffic.

Her gaze continued downward, and finally, Eirina grasped Uesugi's meaning: "You mean... the basement levels?!"

"Correct. Let's go check out that area." Uesugi tapped his finger against the first, second, and third basement levels on the map.

"Why didn't you just say so? Let's go!" Having finally understood completely, Eirina grew eager. "Are you sure about this, Uesugi?"

"Not at all," Uesugi replied with a shrug, looking quite relaxed. "Close enough, though. If we don't find anything, we can just consider it an after-dinner walk to help digest our food."

"Cunning fellow, you always have an excuse for everything." Eirina simply grabbed Uesugi by the arm and initiated their clandestine investigation. The two of them vanished one after another into the stairwell, slipping through the camera blind spots. Although security guards were stationed nearby, faced with Eirina’s genuine police uniform and her official badge, they had no grounds to stop them.

Yet, not a single soul noticed that while Soya Uesugi and Ikeda Eirina were whispering to each other, a stunning woman clad in a violet-vine princess feather-and-tulle strapless gown was standing close by, listening to their entire conversation.

She was a vision of glowing purity. Her gorgeous face, usually adorned with only the lightest nude makeup, possessed a beauty that could captivate nations. Her thin, cherry-red lips were glossed with high-end, vibrant crimson, parting slightly to reveal pearly white teeth. Every gesture she made exuded a mesmerizing, multifaceted charm.

"I suppose I'll tag along and see what happens." The beauty had clearly overheard every word of Uesugi and Eirina's private chat.

Trapped inside the television station, she had thrown her entire talent agency into a frenzy. As the crown jewel of the agency, her situation concerned the very survival of the firm. Takataka Miyazaki, one of the Miyazaki brothers running the agency, had rushed over personally and was currently waiting outside the Odaiba Building.

She herself had grown utterly weary of people constantly coming up to offer empty pleasantries. Telling her manager she wanted to stretch her legs, she had decided to take a stroll, only to overhear Uesugi and Eirina's private discussion.

*A strange female cop wearing black stockings? Aren't standard female police uniforms paired with flesh-colored stockings?*

The beauty simply found today's events thoroughly amusing.

Then, something bizarre occurred. Whether it was Soya Uesugi, Ikeda Eirina, or the security guards stationed in the stairwells and elevator lobbies, not a single person paid her any mind. Not a single person realized that one of the nation's most breathtaking actresses was standing mere paces away from them.

Bizarrely still, she didn't bother using blind spots like Uesugi and Eirina. Instead, clacking along in a pair of milky-white butterfly high heels, she strolled right past in plain view of a security camera.

Yet on the live monitors vigilantly watched by the guards in the security room, the screen remained completely empty, showing no figure and no trace of an event.