Chapter 75: The First Talk of Marriage—The Suitor Arrives!

Inside a room of a luxury hotel.

Shunobu Aoyama was also watching the news report about Masako Mikami’s case being handed over to the prosecution, completely unaware that the real culprit was mocking him somewhere in the shadows.

Well, even if he knew, he wouldn’t care.

You laugh at my ineptitude in investigations.

But I laugh at your ignorance about earning merit.

“You go wash up.” Just then, Aya Asai stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, her hair slick and damp, her long, fair legs alluring, a few droplets of water trailing down the curves of her thighs.

She’d been taken to the hotel straight after work by Shunobu Aoyama, who had deliberately chosen a place far from the Metropolitan Police Department.

After all, their illicit affair must not be exposed for now.

Shunobu Aoyama didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the television report about himself. Without turning, he asked absentmindedly, “How impressive do you think I am?”

Single-handedly solving the case in two days—utterly remarkable!

“Take a proper shower first, and then I’ll see for myself,” Aya Asai replied, her cheeks flushed as she shot him a glare.

Shunobu Aoyama turned his head to stare at her blankly.

What sort of wild words are you uttering?

Aya Asai blinked in confusion, “Is there something on my face?”

“Nothing on your face, but there’s plenty elsewhere,” Shunobu Aoyama replied solemnly as he got up and headed for the bathroom.

He planned to come out spotless and tend to her “flowers.”

However, when he emerged freshly washed, he discovered Aya Asai was already dressed, looking hurried and ready to leave. Perplexed, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“My father wants me home immediately, something important, apparently. Sorry, I really can’t stay with you any longer,” she said, grabbing her bag and rushing out.

“But… wait…” Shunobu Aoyama stared after her, dumbfounded. He’d just been preparing to nitpick, yet she had slipped away without a word.

Still, since Asahiko Asai had called her home so urgently, Shunobu Aoyama couldn’t very well force her to stay. He understood the priorities.

All he could do was watch the butterfly flutter away.

The room was already paid for—it was Aya Asai who had covered the bill. True to his principle of not letting her money go to waste, Shunobu Aoyama called Mrs. Nohara.

He invited her to the hotel, making no secret of his intentions.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

To his surprise, it was Aya Asai, who had returned. He immediately said into the phone, “You don’t need to come, Mrs. Nohara,” and hung up.

“Mrs.? Which old lady is that?” Aya Asai seemed in a foul mood, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “I see you really are desperate!”

“What brings you back?” Shunobu Aoyama ignored her mockery, curiosity piqued.

Aya Asai flopped onto the sofa, annoyance etched on her face. “Turns out Jiro Ninpei is arriving in Tokyo tonight. My father wanted me to pick him up. I used the excuse of leading an arrest operation to turn him down.”

She then looked up at Shunobu Aoyama, frowning. “Well? Have you thought of a way to deal with my family trying to set me up with Jiro Ninpei?”

“I actually do have a solution.” Shunobu Aoyama sat beside her, pulling her into his arms and whispering comfortingly, “All you have to do is marry me.”

If you want a political career, you have to get married. After all, going it alone and unattached only makes people wary.

And if you want to go further, especially without a powerful family background, you need a reliable wife. Both Aya Asai herself and her family were excellent choices.

The key was, given his current status, those of even higher birth wouldn’t look his way. If it weren’t for an unexpected twist that let him get a hold on Aya Asai, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Let’s not talk about whether I agree—my family definitely won’t,” Aya Asai rolled her eyes.

Shunobu Aoyama clearly had this planned. “Once the automated loan project is on track, I’ll ask Noritomo Hikokawa to propose on my behalf. You can tell your family you’re already pregnant with my child. That should put an end to their objections.”

As long as he married Aya Asai, the future position of Police Commissioner would be all but his. The Asai family’s years of accumulated connections would be his ladder upward.

He’d shave at least twenty years off his journey.

“Do you really want to marry me?” Aya Asai gazed into Shunobu Aoyama’s handsome face. “But didn’t you say your moral standards and bottom line were high? That you’d never cheat? After marriage, you can’t go fooling around.”

Truth be told, she’d long since prepared herself for marrying Shunobu Aoyama, knowing he’d never let such a high-quality wife slip away.

To be blunt, there was no woman better than herself currently willing to marry Shunobu Aoyama.

And she didn’t dislike the idea of marrying him either.

She didn’t want to become a trophy wife in a wealthy family—she had ambitions of her own.

“Sigh, it’s alright. In this aspect, I can make a sacrifice for you—lower my moral standards and my bottom line.” Shunobu Aoyama said earnestly.

His bottom line was as flexible as his underwear.

He could drop it or pull it up at any moment.

Aya Asai’s pretty face turned frosty, her teeth grinding in irritation at his shamelessness. “Why don’t you just die!”

“You talk as if, after marrying Jiro Ninpei, he’d remain utterly faithful to you.” Shunobu Aoyama sneered, undoing her jacket buttons as he tried to persuade her. “If you marry someone like Jiro Ninpei, you’ll definitely be ordered to resign and become a housewife. But I’m different—I support your career, and I’m willing to help you.”

“More importantly, you have no other choice. If you don’t want to bring shame upon the Asai family, you have to marry me. In short, Superintendent, I plan to have you for life.”

A real man, even if he lives off a woman, does so assertively—not waiting for a rich woman’s charity!

“In fact, marrying you is already a shame to the Asai family,” Aya Asai muttered weakly, a strange look in her eyes, voicing the truth.

Shunobu Aoyama’s smile froze. He replied through gritted teeth, “You really know how to hurt someone!”

Damn these rich families—looking down on us proletarians, are you? Just wait till I become Prime Minister. I’ll see to it you all get what’s coming!

He was verging on indignation.

Seeing his aggrieved expression, Aya Asai felt thoroughly satisfied, a smug smile curling on her lips.

“If you can really persuade Noritomo Hikokawa to help propose, what can I say? Could I even resist? I’ll just have to reluctantly accept my fate and marry you.”

She really was of marriageable age now—better to wed soon than risk being used as a pawn in a political alliance again.

“Alright, it’s settled, then.” Shunobu Aoyama concluded, changing the subject. “I want to remove Heiji Kinjo and Mahiro Takizawa, and bring in Ryoichi Fujimoto and Shinichi Nakamura to fill their positions.”

“Mm… go easy. Heiji Kinjo is always in and out of Inspector Hattori’s office—he’s his man. Without a proper excuse, it’ll be hard to transfer him.”

“I’ll give you a suitable reason!” Shunobu Aoyama would never sit back and wait for Heiji Kinjo to strike first. He always preferred to take the initiative.

Aya Asai murmured assent, her voice thick and nasal.

Soon, the room was filled with a chorus of tangled words—Japanese exclamations, passionate and complex.

Because Aya Asai hadn’t gone to greet Jiro Ninpei, Asahi Zeiki, who had hurried back to Tokyo for the occasion, had to go to the airport alone.

If his grandfather were still alive, there’d be no need to be so solicitous toward the son of a subordinate. But the old man was gone, and now he had to lower himself.

“Jiro, over here! Long time no see!”

Spotting Jiro Ninpei at the exit, Asahi Zeiki—normally stern and reserved—broke into a dazzling smile.

As a Kanagawa prefectural assemblyman, and an aspiring politician, how could he truly be so unsmiling? He simply didn’t bother to perform most of the time. But on occasions that called for it, no one could outshine his enthusiasm.

“Zeiki,” Jiro Ninpei smiled as well, quickly stepping forward to embrace him before asking, “Aya didn’t come?”

He was three years older than Aya Asai, not particularly robust but certainly tall, with a handsome, delicate face. When he smiled, he gave off a gentle, springlike warmth.

“She’s on duty tonight,” Asahi Zeiki explained calmly, taking Jiro Ninpei’s suitcase. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

“Alright. I thought I’d see Aya as soon as I got off the plane.” Jiro Ninpei shook his head, then patted Asahi Zeiki on the shoulder. “But I’m happy to see you too, Zeiki—having such a talented young assemblyman come pick me up in person.”

“Oh, come now, don’t tease me. I’m just a prefectural assemblyman. If you were interested, you could easily get elected too.” Asahi Zeiki shook his head.

“I’m not interested,” Jiro replied, getting into the car. “I care about making money in business. As for following my father into politics, I’ll leave that boring path to my elder brother.”

“You…” Asahi Zeiki shook his head again.

“By the way,” Jiro said offhandedly after fastening his seatbelt, “I heard Aya’s been getting close to some young police officer. I hope I’m not too late?”

“Who told you that? There’s nothing of the sort.” Asahi Zeiki’s face didn’t change as he smiled. “Aya’s been looking forward to her childhood playmate coming home—there’s no room in her heart for anyone else.”

He felt a heavy weight settle in his heart. Since Jiro Ninpei had brought up the subject, it was clearly not just idle gossip. This would require a thorough investigation.

He’d been too lax in supervising Aya these past two years.

“That’s good, that’s good. Otherwise, I’d hate for the girl who always said she’d marry me to end up with someone else.” Jiro joked.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry, Jiro. I only recognize you as my brother-in-law—no one else stands a chance!”

...

Neither Shunobu Aoyama nor Aya Asai stayed overnight at the hotel; after their business was concluded, they quietly went their separate ways.

It was still early, and he wasn’t in a hurry to go home.

Instead, he arranged to meet Kazuki Yamakawa.

Having relieved his desires, his mind was now clear and quick. Shunobu Aoyama had just thought of a way to deal with Heiji Kinjo.

But he needed Kazuki Yamakawa’s help to make it work.