Chapter 107: The Eldest Brother's Shock, the Special Investigation Unit Takes Action

"Hidenobu, tell me a bit about your girlfriend's family situation. I don't even know her name yet, and I'd hate to be completely in the dark when we arrive," Aoyama Munehisa said while driving.

Aoyama Haruko sat in the passenger seat. Hidenobu sat alone in the back.

"My girlfriend's name is Aya Asai. Her father is Takehiko Asai, and her older brother is Sawaki Asai..."

"Wait!" Munehisa suddenly interrupted, asking, "Are they related to that famous police family, the Asais?" Even though he wasn't well-versed in the judicial world, he worked in politics and had heard of the Asai family's immense influence.

"They are," Hidenobu replied.

"Oh..." Munehisa nodded subconsciously, but then his eyes widened. He slammed on the brakes, whipped his head around, and stared at Hidenobu in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

"I said my girlfriend's family is the main line of the Asai clan. Her grandfather and great-grandfather both served as Commissioners General of the National Police Agency," Hidenobu said calmly.

Munehisa swallowed hard, eyeing his younger brother with bewilderment. He couldn't fathom how his brother had the qualifications to marry into the Asai family. "Are you sure it's marriage, and not you being adopted into their family?"

He had previously mocked Hidenobu for being a gigolo, but now, he was consumed by envy and jealousy. While the Asai family's power base was in the judiciary, they had long-standing connections in politics. If Hidenobu truly became their son-in-law, his future would certainly be brighter than his own.

"It is, of course, marriage," Hidenobu replied.

Munehisa found this even harder to accept; he could practically hear his own molars grinding. "Even if you managed to win over Aya Asai, how could the Asai family possibly accept you?"

"Because I asked the young master of the Hikokawa family to act as the go-between for my marriage proposal," Hidenobu said nonchalantly.

"The Hikokawa family? You mean the Hikokawa family of Juro Hikokawa?" Munehisa felt as if his brain might explode. He didn't understand what had happened while he was away. "Am I dreaming?" Not even a novelist would dare write something so absurd.

"You aren't dreaming. That is why I told you to behave yourself; leave the task of restoring our family's glory to me," Hidenobu said in an even tone.

Munehisa pursed his lips, his gaze toward Hidenobu shifting entirely. Before he was beaten, he had been contemptuous. After the beating, he was filled with fear and hatred. Now, his eyes held a hint of sycophancy.

"Right! If Mom and Dad knew you were so successful, Hidenobu, they would be so happy." Munehisa forced a smile, his tone eager and fawning. "Hidenobu, as long as we brothers work together, the Aoyama family will surely be great again! Speaking of which, my term as a councilor in Saitama Prefecture is ending. What do you think about the House of Representatives election next year? Do you think I..."

"Shut up, drive. Just stay put in Saitama for now. As long as you listen to me, I will naturally consider your future," Hidenobu said, dangling the carrot. In truth, he didn't want his brother back in Tokyo.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Munehisa nodded repeatedly, laughing. "I'll do whatever you say, brother. From now on, everything is up to you." For someone who had repeatedly hit walls in his political career, fawning over the powerful had become second nature. His dignity as an older brother had already been shattered when Hidenobu beat him that night; since that was the case, he would rather grovel before his own brother than a stranger. At least the humiliation wouldn't be public.

Haruko sat stunned, looking at her husband with a dazed expression, as if seeing him for the first time. She remained silent, her lips pressed tight. Her heart was in turmoil; the image of the resilient, upright, and righteous husband she remembered had been shattered. Had he been like this all these years as a councilor in Saitama? How could he be this way toward his own brother? Her thoughts were complex and indescribable.

It was also the first time she had realized Aya Asai’s family background was so prestigious, though she recalled their first meeting two days ago and noted that the girl had no airs. She felt happy for her brother-in-law, yet a strange, acidic feeling lingered in her heart. She couldn't even explain it herself.

The car started again and soon arrived at the Asai estate. Before entering, Hidenobu cautioned, "Brother, try to behave properly. Don't be too fawning or submissive, or they will look down on you."

"I... I will try," Munehisa took a deep breath; this was a challenge for him. He was accustomed to bowing and scraping before those of higher status, maintaining his composure only when dealing with those beneath him.

"Welcome. Please, come in." Mrs. Asai greeted them warmly. Unlike Sawaki, who was clearly hostile, or Takehiko, who accepted the situation with resignation, she actually quite liked Hidenobu. She doted on Aya and believed that as long as her daughter was happy, that was all that mattered. She felt Hidenobu was an excellent young man; even if his family had fallen on hard times, their lineage was respectable. She would have worried if her daughter had married into some high-society family where she would be constantly mistreated. She was unaware, however, that Aya was often the one being "mistreated" by Hidenobu.

"Sorry to intrude. This is a small token for our first visit. Please, do accept it," Munehisa said with a warm smile as he presented the gift. He was a prefectural councilor, after all; he knew how to conduct himself.

"You really shouldn't have," Mrs. Asai said, taking the gift and stepping aside. "Please, come in."

The three of them changed their shoes and entered the living room.

"Uncle, Brother." Hidenobu bowed to Takehiko and Sawaki, who were sitting together on the sofa, then gestured to Munehisa and Haruko. "This is my brother and sister-in-law."

"Sorry to disturb you!" the couple bowed in unison.

"Hmm." Sawaki didn't resort to sarcasm or cold looks, but his reaction was hardly enthusiastic—this was the absolute limit of what he could manage toward Hidenobu. Munehisa couldn't help but feel nervous.

Takehiko, however, was quite warm. He forced a smile and said, "It's no wonder this kid Hidenobu managed to whisk my Aya away. Your Aoyama family is full of handsome men and beautiful women! Come, don't just stand there, sit."

"Yes!" Munehisa and Haruko bowed again before sitting down somewhat stiffly. Hidenobu was far more relaxed, picking up a piece of fruit from the table and taking a bite. "Uncle, where is Aya?"

"She's in her room upstairs. She doesn't know you're here yet," Takehiko said kindly, looking at Sawaki. "Go call your sister down."

"No need to trouble your brother. I'll go call her myself," Hidenobu immediately volunteered. He wasn't going to call her; he was going to make her call him.

Since Takehiko had accepted him as a son-in-law, he dropped the pretense of dissatisfaction. "Fine. We're all family now. It's the first room on the third floor."

"Right." Hidenobu turned and left, leaving his brother alone to face his father-in-law and brother-in-law. Munehisa watched his brother's retreating figure on the stairs with yearning, bracing himself to endure the interrogation of his brother's father-in-law.

"I heard from Hidenobu that you're a prefectural councilor in Saitama, Aoyama-san? Truly young and promising..."

Hidenobu reached the third floor and quietly opened the door to Aya’s bedroom. He saw her lying on the bed reading a book, her silk slip dress pressed against her curves, her two fair, slender calves kicked up in the air, her feet rubbing against each other.

Suddenly, Aya felt her foot grasped. She jumped, turning to see Hidenobu, and rolled her eyes. "Why don't you make any noise? You scared me to death. Are your brother and sister-in-law here?" As she spoke, she shifted from a prone to a supine position, her slender toes gently tapping his chest.

"They're here, currently undergoing interrogation by your father downstairs," Hidenobu said, grabbing her foot.

Aya wiggled her foot to avoid his hand, her toes nimbly unbuttoning his trousers. "What about Hisahisa Mizuho? Everyone says that as soon as Nakamura and Fujimoto arrived, they cracked a major case, but I guessed right away that your shadow was behind it."

"You really do know me. Hiss..." Hidenobu sucked in a breath. "Mizuho made mistake after mistake and almost got me killed. I won't go into the details, but in the end, I used my wits to turn the tables and finished him off."

"You don't have wits; you're just cunning and treacherous," Aya said. Her ankle was getting tired, so she sat up, gesturing wildly. She looked up at him. "Go take a shower first."

"Shower, my foot. I don't mind your feet, why do you mind me?" Hidenobu leaned in and pinned her down.

"Hey! You're crushing my hair!" Aya pushed him a few times, then began to moan softly, gasping, "Turn off the light, it's too bright." It was the first time she had been with him in her own home, in her own bedroom, and she felt a bit shy.

"I am a gentleman; I do not deceive in the dark," Hidenobu declared righteously. The idiom meant he never bullied women in dim rooms. Therefore, turning off the lights to have sex was simply not the act of a gentleman.

"Ring-ring~ Ring-ring~"

"Phone, your phone. Answer it first!"

Hidenobu picked up the phone. "Moshi moshi?"

"Aoyama-kun, the Special Investigation Department has launched a large-scale operation," Yuno Yamada’s excited voice came through.

"Good!" Hidenobu hung up and pulled away—pop—then called Kazushiro Yamakawa. "Arrest Heiji Gensho immediately."

"What are you up to now?" After he hung up, Aya asked, her brows knitted in confusion.

Hidenobu didn't answer. He tossed the phone aside and leaned in again. "I only want to 'get' you right now."

***

"What time is it?" Kurosawa Shin, dressed in a black kimono and sitting on a cushion with his eyes closed, asked coldly.

"It's almost eight," a bodyguard replied.

"Eight," Kurosawa repeated to himself. He then commanded, "In four hours, when Hidenobu Aoyama and Yuno Yamada arrive, if they don't have the photos, don't let them in. Send them straight down. If they don't show up, find them and send their families down with them."

"Yes!" the bodyguard replied respectfully.

"Baka! What are you doing? Do you know where this is? How dare you barge in!"

"Get out of the way!"

At that moment, a commotion erupted outside. Kurosawa frowned slightly. The bodyguard bowed and turned to investigate. Just then, the wooden shoji door was kicked in, and a group of men filed inside.

The middle-aged man in the silver suit at the lead bowed politely to Kurosawa, but his tone was anything but respectful. "Kurosawa-san, I am Takeyoshi Takahashi, Chief of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office's Special Investigation Department. We have received reports that you are involved in corruption. Please cooperate with our investigation."

Kurosawa didn't speak, staring at him silently.

"Please get in the car, Kurosawa-san." Takahashi held his gaze for a moment, then gave the order. Two subordinates stepped out, bowed to Kurosawa, and prepared to assist him.

"I can walk myself." Kurosawa finally spoke, his voice raspy. In an instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.

"Please!" Takahashi and all the prosecutors stepped aside, bowing low to make a path. Kurosawa struggled to his feet, leaned on his cane, and walked toward the door, expressionless, step by step.