Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner
Chapter 75 Fulfilling One’s Duty

Chapter 75: Chapter 75 Fulfilling One’s Duty

The rain was still falling, and the Toyota District Police Station was lit up.

Minamoto Tamako sat outside the main entrance, the rain curtain blocking her view; she had been sitting here for four hours today.

The second floor of the police station was a standalone office area, with the chief’s office at the very end, separated by solid walls, and even the office door was made of cherry wood, leaving no gaps, ensuring top-notch soundproofing. The chief was very satisfied; he liked playing the violin to relax in his spare time...

If the soundproofing were too poor, wouldn’t he have no privacy at all? There should be a sense of boundary between people; the new little patrol police was too ignorant of the rules. Did she think the police station was somewhere she could come and go as she pleased? If a warning isn’t issued to set an example, where would his authority be in front of his subordinates...

The landline suddenly rang.

The chief picked up the phone, hearing that the call was from the Police Department, he hurriedly cleared his throat; he didn’t have a chance to speak before the other party’s first sentence sent a cold sweat down his back.

"I heard my daughter has been receiving a lot of your care lately."

The chief quickly exchanged some pleasantries and inquired which of his daughters she was. The other party did not specify, merely said, ’I hope you don’t give her special treatment because of me,’ ’everyone must be treated equally,’ ’she is now just a patrol police officer, and everything must be done according to protocol’...

The chief understood, translating the subtext in his mind: ’How dare you not give me face?’ ’Is my word no longer valid?’ ’So you look down on the patrol police, huh? Someone will put you in check according to the rules...’

He quickly and righteously spouted nonsense, such as ’Your daughter is truly exceptional,’ ’Listening to the grassroots’ opinions is something I should do,’ ’Although it’s against the rules, I am willing to give young people a chance’... The other party also sternly criticized, saying nepotism must not happen, emphasizing the discipline of the police department, and issued him a verbal warning. The chief nodded and bowed, displaying a sincere repentant attitude.

After the formalities, the chief hung up the phone and instructed the female secretary to bring in the little patrol officer, saying he wanted to talk face to face.

Minamoto Tamako was prepared for another closed door, but upon learning the chief was willing to see her, she felt both happy and a little nervous. Keeping her back straight, she stepped into the office, hands at her back, and explained her purpose to the chief.

The latter listened patiently without commenting, and asked in return, "For this case, did you consult your superior?"

His subtext was asking, ’Is this your mother’s idea?’ but Minamoto Tamako understood it as ’Why didn’t you report to the investigation department?’ She earnestly expressed that she had reported it, but the superior deemed it insufficient to open an investigation, so she escalated it directly to the chief, with no disrespect intended towards her superiors.

The chief found himself in a quandary; he saw that Minamoto Tamako was a hothead, so much so that he couldn’t figure out if the Police Chief wanted him to refuse or agree. Such matters couldn’t be directly asked; he could only rely on guessing the superior’s intentions.

"One moment," the chief pressed the intercom button on the landline: "Please have Minister Yasurou come in."

Moriyama Yasurou’s rank was Patrol Chief, lower than the Assistant Police Inspector, but being addressed as ’Minister’ by the chief was a way of giving face to a subordinate.

A moment later, a knock sounded on the door.

The chief said ’Enter,’ and Moriyama Yasurou stepped in through the door.

Her eyes drifted, unsure of the game being played. Logically, the chief wouldn’t be willing to waste time on Minamoto Tamako, yet here he was, earnestly inquiring her opinion on the proposal to open an investigation by Minamoto Tamako.

"I very much agree with her work attitude," Moriyama Yasurou said, standing tall beside Minamoto Tamako, not glancing sideways: "However, I think spending time and energy on a case with no outcome is meaningless. Instead, wouldn’t it be more meaningful to use investigation time for patrols to prevent another tragedy?"

She didn’t truly think this, just giving Minamoto Tamako a way out. It seemed the chief might make an example of her, and if Minamoto Tamako apologized now, she might save her job.

"I thought so too..."

The chief had yet to say ’but’, when Minamoto Tamako loudly retorted: "How can seeking justice for the deceased be meaningless? Even if no one cares anymore, even if the deceased has been forgotten by the world, as police, we must pursue justice to clear the name of the deceased!"

"Police should not only maintain order where people can see; on the first day of school, the principal told me that I would be bearing a noble mission in the future—now I still think so—regardless of setbacks encountered, even if faced with harsh words from the people we protect, I still believe it’s not about if we can, nor a matter of cost-effectiveness, but that police should do so!"

"We should investigate and open cases for the sake of the truth!"

"We should uphold the law so that criminals receive punishment!"

"We should seek final justice for those who have died!!"

...

There was a fire burning inside Minamoto Tamako’s chest; she disregarded her nervousness, disregarding status, only thinking of pouring out the words bottled up inside.

During this time, she had hit a wall repeatedly, every time she was rejected, she consoled herself: ’Perhaps the chief has other matters to attend to,’ ’maybe the chief encountered another major case’... Now she truly realized that the entire police station didn’t care about an unknown woman who died in the slums.

Some criminal police have dealt with too many cases. For them, handling cases is just routine work. They’ve become numb; their passion has long since cooled, so slacking off at work is quite normal, what’s there to fuss about.

So Minamoto Tamako was very angry.

She was very, very angry.

A silence blanketed the office. Moriyama Yasurou couldn’t help but cast a sidelong glance, worried for Minamoto Tamako. She helped make amends: "I am very sorry, it’s my fault for not managing my subordinates properly..." She gestured at Minamoto Tamako to bow and apologize to the chief.

Minamoto Tamako’s small mouth pouted, anger clouding her eyes with a glaze of tears. Moriyama Yasurou saw this and, even if it was inappropriate given the situational tension, she couldn’t help wanting to pinch her cheeks.

Ugh, that small face, so soft and tender, it looks so squeezable...

Until the chief cleared his throat, Moriyama Yasurou snapped back to reality, promptly bowing and apologizing again.

"There aren’t many young people who still hold a belief in the police profession anymore; hearing you say this, I’m genuinely gratified, it feels like seeing my younger self."

The chief said, taking off his glasses and wiping them with a white cloth: "Having passion is good, being able to keep it burning is truly invaluable."

"You mean..."

Moriyama Yasurou lifted her head, already having discerned the underlying message.

"Let Yamaguchi Takashi proceed with the case filing, establish a temporary investigation team, and solve the case within seven days, with the entire Sugamo Station front Patrol House responsible for collaborative investigation."

The chief put his glasses back on, gently saying: "I hope you don’t forget your original intentions, Officer Yuan."