"You... what you said is..."
Takagi, turning his inner reluctance into courage, had the words ready to come out, but at the moment of speaking, he hesitated, scratched his head with a wry smile, and said, "Sato-san and I weren't really a good match from the beginning..."
"Yeah, yeah! Takagi, you should find a girl cuter than me!" Sato Miwako also laughed awkwardly. "There will be someone more suitable for you."
"But I like you!!"
Takagi, hearing Sato Miwako's words, shouted crazily in his heart, but the words just wouldn't come out.
"Geez, really, what a timid guy..." Yumi, who had been cheering him on just now, saw Takagi's half-hearted actions, shook her head, and looked disappointed.
"Well... maybe there will be a turn of events later." Senichi stood on the side and smiled. "Let's just watch and see."
"Hey! Detective Senichi, quickly hide!" Yumi saw that Senichi had exposed more than half of his body outside the wall and quickly waved her hand.
"No, I'm leaving." Senichi waved goodbye and then turned and left.
"Why leave just like that..." Yumi muttered, feeling that something was not quite right.
Turning around, she found that behind her, a group of burly men had gathered without her noticing. Due to the cramped space, they were pressing against each other, distorting the panels, but they were still sneakily watching Takagi and Sato Miwako not far away.
Senichi had slipped away early, naturally not wanting any intimate contact with these big men. So, after watching the romantic scene for a while, he decisively slipped away.
After getting in the car, Senichi habitually opened the panel to check the rewards.
But when the panel came into view, the familiar new message did not appear as usual.
Huh? What's going on?
Seeing this, Senichi was stunned, then carefully examined it and finally confirmed that there were indeed no rewards.
But the case had already ended, and all the criminals had been caught.
In general, even if the criminals had not yet been formally tried in court, the system would have settled the rewards in advance.
But not this time...
Facing this situation,
Senichi's eyes lit up.
Could it be that the system considers the current case and the upcoming cases as one, so the rewards haven't been settled yet?
Given the current situation, this seems to be the only possibility.
After all, this case was triggered by the criminals sending a threatening letter, pretending to be the bomb criminal who allegedly killed Detective Matsuda. In a certain sense, it serves as the prelude to the subsequent cases.
When they catch the bomb criminal later on, he should be able to settle the rewards together.
This is good news because although combining rewards for two cases into one settlement is much more challenging and could lead to failure if there are mistakes along the way, success would naturally yield more substantial rewards.
However, Senichi is not worried about these things.
After all, unlike the case just solved, Senichi has a very vivid impression of the upcoming case.
It can be said that the rewards for this wave of cases are entirely encapsulated by the word "stable."
Thinking about this, Senichi returned home in a good mood.
"I'm back."
After entering, Senichi casually threw the keys on the shoe cabinet and habitually shouted into the house.
However, what responded to him was not the voices of his parents but a gentle female voice, "Welcome back, dinner is ready."
"Huh? Ayako, why are you here?" Senichi walked into the house and naturally embraced his girlfriend as they headed inside.
"Uncle and aunt went on a trip this afternoon," Ayako smiled and said, "Knowing that you're busy and afraid that you haven't had much for lunch, so they asked me to make a delicious dinner for you."
"In that case, I won't be polite." Senichi said, stealing a kiss from Ayako. With her shy complaint, he ran to the bathroom to wash his hands.
Dinner was very traditional Japanese cuisine but very rich.
The freshly fried shrimp tempura was Senichi's favorite dish. Ayako's craftsmanship was superb, the outer layer crispy, and the inside shrimp fresh and juicy, perfectly releasing the deliciousness of the shrimp.
Knowing Senichi's preference for congee, Ayako made millet congee instead of miso soup.
Combined with some seasonal vegetables and steamed crab, Senichi's dinner was exceptionally satisfying.
After dinner and cleaning up the dishes, Ayako left early. Although Senichi also wanted to enjoy a cozy evening, certain things couldn't be taken lightly.
After all, life should have a sense of ceremony.
...
Early the next morning.
After having breakfast in the police department's cafeteria, Senichi proceeded to his office as usual.
On the way, he saw Detective Takagi, who looked dejected compared to usual. However, unlike before, Takagi seemed unusually popular today.
"Hey, Takagi, how are you doing?"
"If you're not feeling well, I can help you with the record!"
"Oh, your shoulders are really stiff. Let me help you relax."
"Come on, Takagi, have a cup of coffee!"
Watching the attentive crowd surrounding Takagi, it would seem as if he were quite popular, especially to those unaware of the circumstances.
But in reality...
All these attentive individuals were the same ones who had witnessed the spectacle yesterday. They knew about Takagi and Sato Miwako's lukewarm relationship and were now joyously encouraging Takagi.
"No, no need!"
Takagi rejected their offers while rushing towards the office.
Originally, the crowd was still chasing Takagi to enter the office, but then they saw Detective Senichi at the door.
"How lively." Senichi pushed the door open. "What are you guys doing? Is there something in our office?"
"No, no." Seeing Senichi, the atmosphere of commotion instantly dissipated. Now, upon hearing Senichi's question, they shook their heads one after another.
"Then, disperse." Senichi smiled and said, "Today is Monday, being too noisy wouldn't be good if the superiors see it."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement and dispersed, disappearing without a trace.
For these non-career groups, the Police Inspector was already their superior. After all, many non-career detectives wouldn't reach the rank of Police Inspector even upon retirement.
Reaching the rank of Police Inspector upon retirement was considered the "peak" for those in non-career groups under normal circumstances.
Although Senichi had just joined, his position was already a Police Inspector, and coupled with his achievements, the commotion from earlier naturally calmed down when they saw him.
Taking this opportunity, Takagi finally broke free from the crowd, taking a swift step to Senichi's side and followed him into the office.
[TN:
Police department Rank:-
Juzo Megure: Police Inspector (Rank 6)
Karazawa Senichi(MC): Police Inspector (Rank 6)
Ninzaburo Shiratori: Police Inspector (Rank 6)
Miwako Sato: Assistant Inspector (Rank 7)
Yumi Miyamoto: Assistant Inspector (Rank 7)
Wataru Takagi: Police Sergeant (Rank 8)
Kazunobu Chiba: Police Sergeant (Rank 8)]