Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 57 - 53: Why Do Priests Like to Come to Japan?

Chapter 57: Chapter 53: Why Do Priests Like to Come to Japan?

Shinjuku Police Station received the emergency call while Asai Ayumi was at the hospital getting an ultrasound, and Aoyama Xiu Xin was on his way to visit Tanaka, carrying a fruit basket, so neither of them joined Manager Sagi in the police action.

Aoyama Xiu Xin only received Nakamura Shinichi’s phone call when he arrived at the hospital, and he learned about the major robbery that had occurred in his area, and how the robbers had escaped after a shootout with the police.

But he didn’t rush back to the station; instead, he got out of the car carrying the fruit basket and continued on to visit Tanaka Noriaki.

After all, he had a reason he had to visit.

Which was, he’d come all this way already.

And besides, catching robbers wasn’t something that would see progress in a short amount of time, so there was no need to rush at this moment.

Not to mention, they hadn’t robbed his own money.

What’s there to panic about?

After finding out which ward Tanaka Noriaki was in, Aoyama Xiu Xin went straight there. When he got to the door of the ward, he glanced inside through the glass pane.

Tanaka Naoko was wiping Tanaka Noriaki’s face.

Her hair was pulled back, revealing a fair and slender neck. She wore a patterned ladies’ blouse on the top and light blue skinny jeans on the bottom, the roundness of her shapely buttocks highlighted as she bent over.

Aoyama Xiu Xin straightened his collar and walked into the room.

Upon hearing the door open, Tanaka Naoko, who was wiping her husband’s face, instinctively looked back and saw it was Aoyama Xiu Xin. Her expression became slightly unnatural, and with an evasive gaze, she bent over to bow, "Mr. Aoyama, you’re here."

After all, she had been fully focused on him just the previous night.

It would be odd if she could face that without discomfort today.

"Madam," nodded Aoyama Xiu Xin, placing the fruit basket on the nightstand, and he sighed looking at the bedridden Tanaka Noriaki, wrapped up like a mummy and unconscious, "Life is so unpredictable, isn’t it? I never imagined that bidding farewell last night could nearly have been our last. Although I had my grievances with Mr. Tanaka, seeing him like this now, I just can’t muster up any hatred towards him."

"The doctor said that Mr. Noriaki might never wake up again." As Tanaka Naoko spoke, her eyes reddened, and after wiping away her tears, she looked up at Aoyama Xiu Xin with an earnest bow, "Mr. Aoyama, I ask for nothing else, just that the criminal is severely punished!"

She and Tanaka Noriaki were childhood sweethearts; their years of affection couldn’t be faked. Originally, because of Aoyama Xiu Xin’s lies last night, her love for Tanaka had turned to hate, but now that Tanaka was in this state, how could she still harbor any resentment?

All that remained was sorrow and grief for her husband.

"Don’t worry, Madam," Aoyama Xiu Xin approached her, placing his hand on her shoulder with a sincere promise, "Yao Yamamoto and Zhongshan Valley have betrayed me, and now they have gone mad enough to want to kill Mr. Tanaka. For both public and private reasons, I will make sure they receive the punishment they deserve."

"Thank you, Mr. Aoyama, but I must ask you to please show some self-restraint," Tanaka Naoko said with tight lips as she moved away from the hand Aoyama Xiu Xin had placed on her shoulder, bowing slightly, "Please forget about last night."

"An old saying goes: ’A couple for a day, bound by a hundred days of grace.’ Last night, Madam, we had more than just a day. Yet today, you turn your face away, uncaring. It’s heartbreaking," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, shaking his head as he sniffed the lingering fragrance on his fingertips.

Tanaka Naoko’s face flushed with anger, and as she glared at him, she retorted, "Mr. Aoyama, please stop. Last night was a mistake. My husband is now in a vegetative state, and from now on, all I want is to take good care of him. I have no plans to remarry, and I hope you won’t disturb my life from now on."

"Madam might be misunderstanding; who said I wanted to marry you?" Aoyama Xiu Xin smiled slightly, then continued earnestly, "I just wanted to sleep with you."

He wasn’t a greedy man. He wouldn’t marry a woman just because he liked her and then cruelly bind her with the name of marriage.

Right, he only wanted to sleep with women, not to take responsibility for them.

"How can you... you’re so shameless!" Tanaka Naoko said in fury as she listened to his brazen words, angrily calling out.

"I am simply being honest," Aoyama Xiu Xin retorted calmly, looking at Tanaka Noriaki on the bed, "And even if Mr. Tanaka never wakes up, staying in this state is going to cost a lot of money, isn’t it? But do you have the money, Madam?"

Tanaka Naoko fell silent, lowering her head.

Their family savings obviously wouldn’t cover it.

"It seems not, so that simplifies matters," Aoyama Xiu Xin smiled slightly, "Madam, you wouldn’t want your husband to be discharged because he couldn’t pay the fees, right?"

Tanaka Naoko kept her head down, saying nothing, her white teeth biting her lips as she continuously twisted her fingers.

"Of course, Madam, you could choose to divorce and abandon him – no one would blame you," Aoyama Xiu Xin began to play mind games to prevent her from divorcing, "Let him die in some corner, self-sustaining. Out of sight, out of mind; after all, you won’t be saddened by not seeing him. A husband from childhood, well, the world lacks three-legged toads but is full of two-legged men..."

"Shut up!" Tanaka Naoko barked, lifting her head defiantly with teary eyes, "What exactly do you want?"

"I’ll cover his medical costs," Aoyama Xiu Xin hooked his lips into a smile, stepped forward to embrace her, feeling her trembling slightly. Whispering into her ear, he said, "I believe you’re quite aware of what I want, Madam."

"There’s no need for you to feel guilty, Madam. Tanaka had already intended to give you to me; he wronged you first. For you to now give yourself to me to save his life is the epitome of compassion and righteousness; even if he wakes up one day, he cannot criticize your actions."

"Bang!" Suddenly, the door of the ward opened. Asai Ayumi looked at the absurd scene with a blank stare.

Tanaka Naoko was overwhelmed with shame.

Asai Ayumi managed a forced smile and proceeded to close the door of the ward, "It seems I’ve come at an inappropriate time."

"No, your timing is perfect," Aoyama Xiu Xin remained calm, still able to converse with her nonchalantly, "Did you hear about the robbery?"

"Shameless!" As Xiu Xin walked away unscathed, Asai Ayumi cursed fiercely and stormed out, slamming the door behind her, "The Senior Police Director ordered us back to the station immediately. Hurry up, I’ll be waiting for you outside."

About twenty minutes later, Xiu Xin, now neatly dressed, left the hospital room. Facing an expressionless Asai Ayumi, he asked, "Are you angry? Jealous?"

"Ha! Don’t flatter yourself. My anger stems from the fact that another innocent woman has fallen prey to your devilish clutches," Asai Ayumi coldly dropped the remark and headed to the elevator in her high heels.

Xiu Xin followed her, "Alright, don’t be mad. Let me tell you a joke to lighten up the mood, do you know why priests like coming to Japan?"

Ayumi didn’t show any interest on the surface but couldn’t help but prick up her ears; this was the first time in a long while he had attempted to cheer her up.

"Don’t know?" Xiu Xin chuckled with his answer, "Because little boys fall from the sky in Japan."

Asai Ayumi stopped in her tracks, spun around, and glared at Xiu Xin, "Do you think you’re funny?"

Then she hastened her pace, clearly still angered.

"Not funny?" Xiu Xin grinned and shrugged, following Asai Ayumi into the elevator.

He genuinely thought the joke was humorous; his acquaintances back in Hiroshima would surely agree.

...

On the other side.

Noda had already met up with Kobayashi.

And discussed the details of the entire incident.

"We didn’t get a dime and only succeeded in attracting police pursuit," Kobayashi sighed in frustration and looked at Noda, "The bank’s main goal was to balance their books. Although they didn’t get any money, their primary objective was achieved; they certainly won’t bother about us anymore. Noda, you should run first, right? I haven’t been exposed, I can stay in Tokyo and relay information to you."

"No way!" Noda flatly rejected the idea, grinding his teeth, "We came to Tokyo to make money. All our funds were spent arming ourselves, and now not only have we made nothing, but we’ve also lost a man. We can’t just slink away like this!"

"What do you plan to do?" asked Kobayashi.

Noda raised his head, his eyes blazing with ferocity, as he bellowed, "I’m going to make those bastards cough up my money! It’s my money! My money!"

The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.

He had never been humiliated like this in his life!

"How is that going to be easy?" Kobayashi shook his head with a bitter smile, not optimistic about the situation. He thought Noda was obsessed, "After the robbery, they’ll be hiding until things cool down. Even the police might not be able to find them, how will you?"

"Snakes have their ways, rats have their paths. The police might not find them, but we might," Noda was quite confident about this, as everyone involved was in the same line of work, "Unless they turn to ashes, I will dig three feet into the ground to find them!"

"Do you need my help with this? Don’t be shy to ask," Kobayashi seemed eager.

But Noda understood that he didn’t want to be involved further and didn’t push, presenting him with a simple request, "Arrange a car for us, and a place to stay. You don’t need to worry about anything else."

"Alright! Wait for my call by the end of the day."

Xiu Xin and Asai Ayumi arrived at the police station just in time for the meeting. The incident occurred in Shinjuku Police Station’s jurisdiction, so it was their responsibility. If the criminals weren’t caught, Asai Youki would have to make a formal apology.

Make a formal apology! Such a grave consequence.

Therefore, Asai Youki attached great importance to this matter.

"The bank is still assessing the exact losses, but according to Manager Sagi, who witnessed the robbery, the final figure could be shockingly high..."

"The situation has become clear; there are two groups of criminals. The first group, consisting of four individuals, took advantage of the traffic jam to successfully rob the bank and escape. The second group, delayed and comprising five individuals, coincidentally met the police, who were also late due to traffic, and engaged in a shootout."

"One group committed armed robbery, the other had an open gunfight with the police. Both groups must be caught! Otherwise, our police force’s capabilities will be questioned, and Shinjuku Police Station will face accountability. So I hope everyone will make a concerted effort!"

"Effective immediately, all divisions put your current cases on hold; some routine cases can be transferred to local stations. Every officer at the station will be dedicated to this bank robbery case. Any objections?"

"No objections!" Everyone stood and responded in unison.

"Meeting dismissed!" said Asai Youki, then turned to Xiu Xin and Asai Ayumi, "Follow me."

The two followed Asai Youki to his office.

"You’ve seen the situation. Our station is short on officers, so I will apply for a delay in your transfer to Police Headquarters until this case is resolved."

"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison.

When a leader asks if you have any objections, they’re not really soliciting your opinion; they’re just notifying you.

Asai Youki waved them away.

The two bowed again and then left the office.