Those Who Are Not Protected - Chapter 1: Episode 4.1

According to the investigation instructions from Higashigumo, they needed to check the people going in and out of the victim’s home and workplace. So, Tashino went to the Mikumo family’s house.

“But what do underground assets have to do with this?”

Hasuda, who was driving, looked like he didn’t really care that much.

“I understand what the supervisor means, but the victim was also a public servant, just like us. Would someone like that even have secret assets?”

“It’s possible. Exactly because he was a public servant, if he had assets that didn’t match his job, the tax office would notice quickly. Some people turn temporary income into gold bars or bonds right away.”

“It’s hard for me to imagine a public servant with gold bars.”

Tashino understood that too, even without Hasuda saying it. But their job was to check every possibility, no matter how small it seemed.

Although the First Investigative Division had the title of the most respected detectives, their work wasn’t like the exciting scenes in novels or movies. There were no intense chases or clever conversations with criminals. Real investigation work was not exciting. It was full of repetitive, boring tasks. They had to chase down even the most unlikely ideas until they could be completely ruled out. Checking Mikumo’s assets was one of those jobs.

They visited the Mikumo house again and asked Mikumo’s wife, Naomi, if her husband had rented a safe deposit box. As expected, she looked surprised.

“I’ve never heard of my husband having any assets besides savings. If he did, he would’ve used it to pay off the mortgage.”

This was the answer they expected, so Tashino already had his next question ready.

“But ma’am, your house loan has been going for twenty years. Now there’s probably only the original amount left. That means it doesn’t need to be paid off quickly.”

“So, are you saying my husband used money for something else? I’ve been with him for so many years, and I’ve never seen him take interest in stocks or investments. He always said that people our age can live well on just pensions and savings.”

Mikumo had worked on the front line of social welfare for many years, so it was easy to believe he had a clear idea of what retirement would be like.

“If he had rented a safe deposit box, he would’ve told me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. My husband let me take care of everything related to money. He didn’t even know where the seal for his bankbook was. The money he carried was only pocket change. For bigger spending, like funeral or wedding envelopes, he would ask me. It’s funny to think someone like him would hide money in a safe deposit box.”

This answer was also expected.

Other officers had already contacted the major banks in the prefecture. The result—Mikumo Tadakatsu did not rent any safety deposit boxes. They already knew this, but they still asked Naomi for a final confirmation.

“All right, let me ask you one more thing. Would you kindly provide a list of every employee who entered and left your house?

So, Naomi began counting on her fingers. She mentioned the person who delivered kerosene regularly, the co-op delivery person, the courier, and the mailman. These people only stayed at the entrance. None of them ever stepped inside the house.

“They all came just to deliver things, so it was usually during weekday afternoons. They probably never saw my husband. Also, the kerosene guy, the co-op, and the courier all changed people last year.”

As she spoke, Hasuda’s face became darker. Even though they were prepared for this, there really weren’t many clues. No wonder he looked discouraged.

“I see you’re still trying to say someone hated my husband.”

Naomi’s words were sharp.

“I already told you, I’ve been with him for many years. I’ve never seen even one person who had a grudge against him. Investigating like this won’t help at all.”

“We know that too.”

Even though saying that sounded like an excuse, it was the only thing they could say.

“It’s just that… No one can guarantee that good people won’t be hated by someone.”

*****

Their trip to the Mikumo house turned out to be pointless. Tashino and Hasuda drove to the Welfare and Health Office next. Hasuda still looked gloomy from the side.

When Tashino asked him what was wrong, Hasuda just gave an awkward smile.

“Sorry. This case feels strange in every way… Even though Officer Higashigumo’s orders make sense, I keep feeling like none of them will lead to anywhere.”

Tashino could already guess what Hasuda wanted to say.

“You mean that even though the victim did not appear to be greedy, we are still looking at how much money he had? We are also determining whether this honest man was hated by anyone, despite the fact that everyone claims he was nice. It must have been an unexpected crime if there was no motivation, such as money or retaliation. But the way he was killed and the scene both show it was planned. That’s what you’re trying to say, right?”

“Exactly. Most murder motives fall into those three categories, and most victims fit into one of them. But Mikumo Tadakatsu doesn’t fit into any of them.”

Hasuda shook his head in frustration.

“The usual process is to check the victim’s personality and income, figure out who had a motive, and check everyone’s alibis. But this time, we don’t even know where to begin. We have no clear direction at all.”

Tashino didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t agree or disagree. He just stayed quiet. Hasuda’s confusion was shared by everyone in Officer Higashigumo’s team. He was no exception.

There is always a desire behind a crime—no exceptions. It could be greed, jealousy, lust, or the urge to destroy. In the end, motives and how a crime happens all come from those desires. That’s why, if you can figure out what kind of desire started the crime, you can understand the whole picture.

But in Mikumo Tadakatsu’s case, that rule didn’t apply. Even though Officer Higashigumo’s instructions were correct, they still felt like they were throwing a ball into the dark—unsure where it would land or how it would help. Usual investigation steps like checking location ties or relationships didn’t seem useful here.

The victim was a good, ordinary man, but Tashino felt that behind this case was a deep, dark secret.

They returned to the Welfare and Health Office. This time, Maruyama greeted them again. But when Tashino asked his question, Maruyama tilted his head slightly.

“Workers who came in and out?”

He repeated the question, then stared directly at Tashino.

“Are you asking if any of the workers who came here had a fight with Section Chief Mikumo?”

“Even small things are fine. Please tell us everything.”

“There’s nothing small or big—because nothing like that ever happened.”

Maruyama’s answer was sharp and clear. In fact, it was clear he felt some dislike towards the investigators.

“First of all, there aren’t many people who come and go here. Just the repairmen for the office machine, computer engineers, the Yakult lady, cleaners, elevator and escalator inspectors, couriers, and mailmen. That’s all. Since this is a government office, there are security rules. People without an appointment can’t come in. I’m sure it’s the same in private companies, but we also handle a lot of personal information. So, the standard rules say we should avoid contact with outsiders. When they are present, we must turn off our computers. And of course, we’re not supposed to have private conversations with them. If we’re not in the office but in a public area, even chatting is not allowed. Section Chief Mikumo, being the supervisor, followed this rule even more. I’ve never seen him have a long talk with any of those workers.”

“Even chatting wasn’t allowed?”

“Yes. I think it’s because the chief was strict with himself. He was a disciplined person.”

Tashino sighed and thought, “There it was again.” No one could be further from crime than Mikumo Tadakatsu. He was clean, proper, and never hated by anyone. Tashino had heard that too many times already. Of course, remembering a good person kindly isn’t bad, but for an investigator, it felt like someone was blaming them for not doing their job well—it was frustrating.

“But if he was too strict and refused to talk because of privacy rules, could that have made some of the workers angry?”

“That’s exactly why people respected him. Even if he didn’t talk much, he never gave others a bad feeling.”

“He had that kind of skill?”

“It wasn’t a skill. It was just his character.”

Maruyama answered with a sigh.

“When he was around, the mood was always calm. He was just that kind of person.”

“You said earlier that Mr. Mikumo never gave you any trouble.”

“Yes.”

“But that’s a matter of degree, isn’t it? He was in charge of the Protection Division, right? That department takes care of welfare applications. Didn’t any of those cases make things hard for the staff? If he told you not to make things hard for people, wasn’t that the same as telling you to approve everything? But welfare has a limited budget, right? Approving everything would be a problem.”

“Well… I think most of it depends on the judgement of the person at the reception.”

This time, Maruyama spoke in a quieter tone.

“The people at the front desk check if each case is reasonable and then pass the paperwork to the section chief. More than 90% of the applications can be decided by the front desk. The chief only helped with the remaining 10%.”

That was the first time they had heard that.

“So, when he said not to give people a hard time, he meant he would help with the difficult 10%?”

“Yes. With the other 90%, we can tell from the documents whether to approve or not.”

“Are there forms that can help decide if someone can be approved?”

“It’s not that complicated. Umm… Could you wait a moment?”

Maruyama left the meeting room, then came back shortly with a few sheets of paper.

“I think once you see these, you’ll understand.”

He handed over the following forms:

• • Public Assistance Application Form (under the Public Assistance Act)

• • Asset Declaration Form

• • Income Declaration Form

• • Consent Form

• • Salary Certificate

• • Housing (Land) Lease Agreement Certificate

After examining them closely, even Tashino could understand the purpose of the application items. In short, the message was: if you have assets, then use or sell them for living expenses; if you are capable, you work; if you have relatives who can help, rely on them first; if you’re already receiving other forms of support, don’t apply for public assistance; and, to verify your claims, you must agree to let the government and relevant parties investigate them—essentially, that was the gist.

“Once these forms are filled out, we can determine whether the application can be approved. Even if someone provides false information, a quick check with the relevant institutions will reveal it. So, our job can be standardised as long as we understand the key points, and the number of cases requiring the section chief’s judgement is reduced.”