boyutpedia Page 305
Page 305
Since the fire occurred in Musashino, and the detective who frequently deals with UDI, Tadashi Mori, works at the Musashino Police Station, it means I'll be meeting that detective again.
The fire may have been set up to cover up a murder.
Once this possibility exists, the police need to take it seriously.
Because of this, Aki Tomoya once overheard Chief Kamikura Yasuo complaining that the police had recently expressed doubts about their credibility.
Recently, when a murder occurs and the case is handed over to UDI for autopsy, the media always seems to smell blood and rush to the scene, then get the information from the police simultaneously.
There was an inside leak of case information, and it wasn't just once or twice.
Although this fire incident is only initially suspected to involve a murder, according to regulations, it should be reported to the police, who will then open a case for investigation.
The director wasn't worried about the investigation itself; what he was worried about was that, just like before, the media would get some inside information from unknown sources and then report it.
UDI claims to be a national institution, but its status is actually quite awkward, almost like being raised by a stepmother.
The environment for forensic medicine in Japan is already challenging, and establishing UDI took a great deal of effort from him; almost all the connections he had built up over decades were used for this project.
But a child raised by a stepmother is still a child raised by a stepmother; the country doesn't pay attention to it, and society doesn't care much about it.
Although it is nominally a national research institution, and although it accepts private commissions, that is only a drop in the bucket, and it still relies on funding from the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is his "home base," and he still has many friends from his previous tenure. Although he still has to be mindful of others' feelings when making decisions, at least he has people who will speak up for him.
But the police department is different; it depends entirely on whether they're willing or not.
If the crime-solving rate goes up, the police department will naturally be happy and willing to allocate funds to you.
However, if inside information leaks out on your side, causing public opinion problems, then people on the other side will start to doubt UDI's credibility.
Everyone knows what kind of media outlets they are. Before the case is completely solved, nobody wants to be distracted by other things, let alone be led astray and attacked by public opinion.
The normal procedure is that they first investigate, collect clues and evidence, close the case, and finally have an official spokesperson issue a statement, so that everyone can work together to create a positive social impact.
But now we have to deal with some unscrupulous media outlets, their pens disgusting us, stirring up trouble, and questioning our abilities. Who would want that?
Supporting the establishment of UDI is also to alleviate the pressure on frontline police officers, and there is already a shortage of forensic personnel.
However, if UDI causes a negative public opinion impact on the police, then it would be a case of losing more than you gain.
In the first half of the year, the police department was happy to allocate funds to UDI, but now, in order to secure funding for the second half of the year, the station chief had to make several trips before finally managing to negotiate an agreement.
That's how it is when you have to read people's faces to get by. If the National Police Agency isn't willing to allocate funds, UDI will have a hard time continuing to operate on the basis of funding from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare alone, because they are essentially not a for-profit organization, but a research institution!
The Institute of Unnatural Deaths!
Director Yasuo Kamikura was deeply troubled by this.
After hearing the old man with the messy hair complain, Aki Tomoya was also filled with righteous indignation.
Back in his office, he happened to see Kube Rokuro sitting quietly at his desk, and he began to grumble to himself.
After returning to his seat, Aki Tomoya thought for a moment and decided to try to bluff this guy.
Then, without saying a word, he turned to Rokuro Kube beside him and said, "Kube-kun, I saw you outside earlier and was going to say hello, but then I saw you with another guy. I feel like I've seen that guy somewhere before, tsk..."
Chapter 342 It's best to stop here.
In fact, Aki Tomoya never saw Kube Rokuro outside.
In other words, their destiny has not yet come together.
Aki Tomoya remained calm and collected while spouting nonsense; it was only a matter of whether Kube Rokuro would panic.
"Huh? Huh?"
Kube Rokuro stared wide-eyed, turning to look at Aki Tomoya in surprise.
His guilty reaction was so obvious that even a ghost wouldn't believe he wasn't guilty.
What the heck? What did Aki Tomoya find out?
"He seems to be a guy who makes a living with his pen..."
Seeing this, Aki Tomoya added insult to injury.
At this moment, Kube Rokuro was like a frightened bird. He was already feeling guilty, and Aki Tomoya's hint made him think of Suetsugu Kosuke, the weekly magazine reporter who had sent him here.
Kube Rokuro initially worked for that man, then told him about this place, and eventually ended up here.
Holding two jobs...
"No, Aki-kun, you must be mistaken."
Kube Rokuro was somewhat flustered, and his tone was becoming unsteady.
He was a little nervous; if he were really exposed, Kube Rokuro could imagine how the people around him would see him.
"Maybe so, after all, my eyesight isn't very good either, haha..."
Aki Tomoya had a half-smile on his face.
The intimidation tactic was successful.
This guy was already hiding something, so it seems my previous suspicions were correct.
He didn't say anything, but Kube Rokuro became nervous.
Aki Tomoya's words didn't lead to any particular association, but Kube Rokuro had already made the connection himself.
No matter what you say, you still have a guilty conscience.
Aki Tomoya found it amusing, but at the same time, he sighed.
He subtly glanced at Rokuro Kube.
Looking closely, he doesn't seem like a bad person. There's nothing about him that fits the description of a traitor.
But what he did was a complete traitor.
Leaking information to the outside world has indeed caused trouble for the research institute.
Even earlier, the chief anatomist of the Sancheng class had also been targeted and harassed with gender discrimination and other forms of discrimination.
Anyway, Aki Tomo really couldn't understand why Kube Rokuro would do these things.
There was no real benefit for him, and he didn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing. After spending so much time with him, I actually felt that he was a pretty good person, with a decent sense of justice.
But what he did was incomprehensible...
"You know I'm nearsighted, and you're nearsighted too, so you should understand, right? Sometimes it's true that I can't see very clearly, maybe I'm just seeing things wrong."
As he now sees it, Kube Rokuro is a rather complex person.
The latter naturally didn't understand what Aki Tomoya was thinking; he just breathed a sigh of relief as if he had escaped a disaster, and his face relaxed a little.
"Yes……"
Kube Rokuro secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he had indeed been frightened by Aki Tomoya's words.
"After the lunch break, it's time to start work again. Being busy is fine, but it's really annoying to have someone watching you all the time."
At this moment, Aki Tomoya started muttering to himself again, pretending to complain.
Kube Rokuro assumed he was referring to the police being present, and then whispered, "There's nothing we can do. After all, the fire caused so many casualties, and it might even be related to a murder case..."
"I'm not talking about the police, I'm talking about certain unscrupulous media outlets that love to stir up trouble."
How could he possibly be talking about the police!
When a case occurs, it's perfectly normal for the police to assist and record it at the station; it's an entirely common occurrence.
What's frustrating is some of the reports from outside.
Upon hearing this, Kube Rokuro's heart, which had just settled, immediately jumped again.
How could he not be sensitive to something like this?
His shadow has been consistently mentioned in reports of a certain weekly magazine.
The reason why they know so much about the cases UDI is handling is because someone tipped them off!
However, Kube Rokuro was also angry, especially when Misumi Mikoto appeared in court as a substitute witness.
He wanted to draw public attention to Sakurakoji's case, so that people would understand that it might be a miscarriage of justice.
However, once the news reached them, it quickly shifted, and the focus suddenly became the female forensic scientist turning against them in court, sparking a wave of accusations of gender discrimination.
He was helpless and angry, but the person holding the pen was not him, but someone else.
But once it happens, it happens again, and completely severing ties with that side isn't as easy as it sounds.
Once you're associated with being a "rat" in UDI (Universal Digital Communications), it's not easy to shake off that identity.
"Our research institute also has many difficulties, but they are not our problem. However, the director will have a lot to worry about!"
Aki Tomoya specifically inquired about the research institute's situation.
The organization, essentially raised by a stepmother, has to cater to the National Police Agency on one side and appease the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on the other.
When information from within UDI leaked out and negative public opinion was directed at the police, the National Police Agency became unhappy and began to doubt the agency's credibility.
Aki Tomoya explained to Kube Rokuro exactly whose approval the research institute depended on, its relationship with the National Police Agency, and its relationship with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.