Chapter 22: The Attentive Subordinate, The Purest Episode (Please Vote!)

As someone who always keeps his word, Aoyama Hidenobu had promised Noguchi Matsuo that he would not let a single evildoer slip through his fingers. Now, he was determined to follow through, using the Takizawa Akimasa murder case as a starting point to investigate the Noguchi Clan’s drug trafficking, hoping to bring them to justice as soon as possible.

From his interrogation of Takizawa Akimasa, Aoyama learned that Noguchi Jiro was primarily responsible for collecting maintenance fees from local businesses—essentially protection money—on behalf of the Noguchi Clan, typically paid monthly. Noguchi Matsuo would never entrust something as dangerous as drug dealing to his younger brother, so Noguchi Jiro must have obtained the drugs he sold to the Takizawa siblings from whoever handled narcotics within the organization. This was the thread Aoyama intended to follow.

“Nakamura,” Aoyama called out.

“Yes!” Nakamura, who was tidying up files at his desk, immediately responded and hurried over. “Deputy Chief!”

“Go to the communications company and retrieve Noguchi Jiro’s call records from the past three months,” Aoyama instructed. By checking which number he contacted before each drug transaction with the Takizawa siblings, they could pinpoint the person in the Noguchi Clan responsible for narcotics.

“Call records, correct?” Nakamura confirmed, then bowed. “Please wait a moment.”

He turned to his workstation, picked up a sheet of paper, and handed it over with both hands. “Deputy Chief, I