Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner-Chapter 802 - 486: Pandora’s Box

He was ignored.

Abe Rokuro turned around and found Kawada Ayaka. Earlier, they had gone to Senior Fujiwara’s house for a barbecue together, so they were relatively familiar.

"What’s the situation now? Where’s the suspect I caught?" Abe Rokuro asked.

"Was it you who caught that young man? Chief Kikuchi is interrogating... You’ve made a great contribution; he might be the real culprit behind the serial murders." Kawada Ayaka was somewhat envious: "If you get promoted, remember to treat everyone to a meal."

"No problem, no problem..."

Abe Rokuro couldn’t stop grinning; he remembered Fujihara Councilor’s promise and couldn’t contain his joy.

Tonight he saved Fujihara Councilor’s life, which was a huge favor and could never be repaid enough.

Fujihara Councilor even wanted to invite Abe Rokuro to his house for dinner, but Abe Rokuro declined, still thinking about closing the case, so he hurried back.

Oh, right! He hasn’t notified Senior Fujiwara yet!

This was the suspect they were responsible for tailing, and having caught the suspect red-handed, he should inform them!

Keeping an eye on the suspect wasn’t all his own credit; without Senior Fujiwara sharing the shift, he couldn’t have watched him 24 hours a day by himself.

Ultimately, he was just lucky to be the one watching when Horie Kei committed the crime.

Abe Rokuro, grateful in return, quickly called Senior Fujiwara.

Fushimi Roku listened to the whole process, glanced at Minamoto Tamako who was still sleeping, and replied, "I know."

After speaking, without waiting for Abe Rokuro’s response, he directly hung up the phone.

Tss...

How should he explain this to Minamoto Tamako?

Fushimi Roku clasped his hands together and rested them on his forehead, his elbows propped on his knees, sinking into deep meditation.

He really hadn’t expected Horie Kei to commit a crime knowing he was being watched.

...Could it be that Abe Rokuro’s tracking skills were too good, so much so that Horie Kei didn’t notice?

Forget it; that’s not important. What’s important is that the suspect is now caught, but it has nothing to do with Fushimi Roku.

The person was caught by Abe Rokuro, the case is handled by the Special Investigation Department, and Fujihara Councilor isn’t an idiot; he recognizes his savior, taking a step back, Chief Kikuchi is still in the interrogation room working overtime... So many people are watching that he couldn’t squeeze in even if he were a pointed wedge.

Perhaps he should say he had an urgent need to urinate and let Abe Rokuro take over for a while?

No way, there’s a urine bag in the car, and there’s a partition. This reason is completely unjustifiable.

Then should he say he fell for a ruse and was distracted by Horie Kei’s accomplices?

That’s not feasible either; Minamoto Tamako would definitely take it seriously and report it to the Special Investigation Department. Then a bunch of criminal police would keep forcing Horie Kei to confess to nonexistent accomplices, and just the thought of it gave Fushimi Roku a headache.

Before he could think of an excuse, Minamoto Tamako suddenly turned over, sleepily sat up, and asked, "Who were you on the phone with?"

"Abe Rokuro."

Just as he said this, a flash of inspiration hit Fushimi Roku, and he knew how to explain it to Minamoto Tamako: "There’s something I need to confess to you."

"What?"

Minamoto Tamako was fully awake; every time Mr. Deer said something like this to her, it meant bad news was coming.

"I saw Horie Kei leave the apartment with a folding knife, seemingly intent on committing a crime." Fushimi Roku half-truthfully lied.

"What?!" Minamoto Tamako was shocked, hurriedly sitting up: "Where’s the suspect now? Did you follow in your car?"

"No." Fushimi Roku replied with a very serious and candid tone: "I didn’t do anything; I stayed in the car reading manga."

"Why, why... why?"

Minamoto Tamako was stammering; her first reaction was that Mr. Deer was being lazy again.

But seeing Fushimi Roku’s serious expression made her subconsciously feel like there was more to the story.

"You should know, Rokuro has always aimed to become an outstanding criminal police officer, just like you did at first."

Fushimi Roku spoke in a heavy tone:

"He’s an excellent young man, kind-hearted, and upright, just lacking an opportunity. So far, he’s been a patrol police officer for three years, with no hope of advancing."

The last sentence was fabricated by Fushimi Roku to emphasize Abe Rokuro’s talent not being recognized, portraying him as someone whose life hasn’t gone well.

"You’re well aware of how tough it is being a patrol police officer for three years."

Fushimi Roku deeply sighed: "I truly can’t bear to watch him waste his youth at the Nakagawara Police Station, slowly being worn down by reality. Perhaps in a few years, he will reluctantly abandon his dream of becoming a criminal police officer."

Minamoto Tamako listened and felt a pang of sympathy; she had also risen from being a patrol officer, understood the experience of working at Sugamo Police Station, and knew how hard dreaming could be.

But she wasn’t foolish; she didn’t let herself get sidetracked and brought the topic back: "But what’s this got to do with you not keeping watch..."

Fushimi Roku raised a finger to interrupt: "Don’t rush, I’m getting to the point."

He tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, showing a look of difficult decision-making: "The second the suspect appeared in my view, I had two voices in my head."

"One voice said, ’As long as we catch the suspect, you and I could get promoted; your dream could advance a step further, and I could make a fortune with rising property prices;’"

"The other voice said, ’Give Rokuro a chance; he needs it more than we do.’"

Upon saying this, Fushimi Roku patted Minamoto Tamako’s shoulder, his face filled with guilt, and sighed deeply: "I’m sorry, I didn’t respect your wishes..."

Minamoto Tamako’s eyes widened: "You mean..."

Fushimi Roku nodded: "Yes, I gave the opportunity to catch the killer to Abe Rokuro."

He paused: "I realize this was selfish, after all the effort you put into catching the suspect, only for it to..."

As he spoke, it seemed like he was choking up: "You can hit me, scold me, it’ll help me feel better."

Minamoto Tamako was shocked; she quickly comforted Mr. Deer, patting him on the shoulder: "It’s okay. If it were me, I would do the same!"

Thinking carefully, Mr. Deer made the right choice. Mr. Deer had helped her in the same way before, so now it’s her turn to help the juniors.

Minamoto Tamako said earnestly: "If Rokuro can catch the suspect and prove himself, I would be happy for him! Promotion and credit aren’t what’s important; justice is what’s crucial!"

Fushimi Roku lifted his head, looking at her: "Really?"

Minamoto Tamako nodded emphatically: "Really! It’s no joke! The police station has one more ally for justice; that’s something to be happy about!"

Fushimi Roku, his plan revealing itself, asked: "So you don’t blame me? For not watching and letting Abe Rokuro monitor the suspect..."

"I don’t blame you," Minamoto Tamako replied in a comforting tone: "Mr. Deer has become more considerate, caring for others, how could I blame you?"

Fushimi Roku wiped nonexistent tears, straightened his back, and said: "Then you can start thinking of congratulatory words. Just now, Horie Kei committed a crime, attempting to assassinate Fujihara Councilor, and was caught red-handed by Abe Rokuro. Not only did he stop the assassination, but he also caught Horie Kei."

Minamoto Tamako felt no jealousy at all; it was as though a weight had lifted off her heart: "See! I said my reasoning was correct! My investigatory direction was right, too! The elites of the Special Investigation Department are all fools... Don’t tell anyone else that."

After speaking, she collapsed onto the bed, feeling grateful that the exhausting surveillance work had finally ended: "Since the killer is caught, I’m gonna take a nap..."

Her voice grew fainter as she once again fell into slumber.

Fushimi Roku sat on the sofa, looking at Minamoto Tamako’s profile, sinking into meditation.

He recalled the scene of their first meeting with Horie Kei, who was nervously shivering in a dark shipping container.

Did I influence him?

Fushimi Roku couldn’t say definitively. Upon seeing the four words "Heavenly Punishment," he had an inkling of a thought—perhaps the so-called "Heavenly Punishment" righteous act hadn’t actually brought justice to the world.

It was merely a Pandora’s Box, holding both hope and havoc.