As long as the name provided wasn't a fake one, the investigation was fairly straightforward.
To ordinary people, Nishida might appear to be a young and successful manager of a car dealership. However, a simple search through the police database revealed that he didn't own any dealership at all. Instead, he operated a nightclub in Mito City called SevenDS.
Clearly, the nightclub was involved in some shady business. As for exactly what kind, that could only be determined through an investigation on the inside.
Ritsu opened the trunk of his car, where he kept a sports shoulder bag. Taking out the contents, he began working on his disguise.
He slicked his bangs straight back into a pompadour, removed his gold-rimmed glasses, and put on a pair of diamond-studded earrings that gave him a playboy appearance. Then he took off his suit jacket, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and finished everything off with a few sprays of cologne.
After confirming that his image had completely transformed into that of a nightlife regular, Ritsu finally headed toward SevenDS.
Sure enough, the security guard at the entrance didn't question him at all. Instead, he grinned and struck up a conversation.
"Yo, handsome! You're showing up pretty late. Aren't you worried all the high-quality ones have already been picked?"
With a toothpick dangling from his mouth, Ritsu responded with an ambiguous smile. He casually pulled out a stack of bills and handed them to the guard.
"Hey, I've just been partying a little too hard lately. Needed some proper rest before coming back out. You've still got merchandise inside, right?"
"Naturally."
The money-loving guard immediately leaned closer and lowered his voice. "There are a few real top-tier ones on the second floor. Hope you have a great time, boss."
"Hahaha, good, good."
Ritsu swaggered inside with the exaggerated confidence of a delinquent kingpin. His gaze swept over the partying young men and women filling the dance floor.
It was obvious Nishida wouldn't be hanging around on the first floor.
Making his way upstairs, he could clearly feel eyes following him. Pretending not to notice, he walked straight to the bar and waved his hand grandly.
"Bartender! Bring me the most expensive bottle you've got!"
The man secretly observing him raised an eyebrow.
'A big fish?'
Ritsu deliberately slapped his overstuffed wallet onto the counter and grinned. "It's my first time here. Heard this place is better than the spots out west."
As the bartender fetched a bottle, he replied,
"Naturally. No nightclub in Mito can compare to ours. Judging by your accent, you're not from around here."
"I'm from Kansai."
Speaking in a convincing Kansai dialect, Ritsu leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I heard you've got high-quality girls here. That's exactly what I'm into."
Feeling someone sit down beside him, Ritsu rested his chin on his hand and patiently waited for the bait to be taken.
As expected, someone couldn't resist after noticing how much cash he carried. The man took out a business card and introduced himself.
"Sir, allow me to introduce myself."
"Huh? Sorry, you're not my type. I'm into women."
"Hahaha, you've misunderstood."
Nishida handed over his business card with a smile. "I'm the manager here. Whatever you're looking for, I know where to find it."
'This fish was biting far too easily.'
Apparently, the forces backing him were powerful enough that he had completely lost any sense of caution.
Did he really think that no matter what he did, someone behind him would always clean up the mess?
'Sorry, congratulations in advance. You've just kicked a steel plate.'
Resting his chin on one hand, Ritsu smiled with interest.
"Oh? You're the manager? Pretty young."
"You're flattering me. Aren't you young as well?"
Nishida smiled. "I think we'll get along well. May I ask your name?"
"Wada Shinichi."
Ritsu narrowed his eyes meaningfully.
Anyone familiar with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes might recognize the name as an alias. Unfortunately, the man in front of him was probably the type who had no interest in Sherlock Holmes.
"That's a fine name indeed. Then please come with me, Wada-san."
Ritsu rose to his feet and followed Nishida to a private room at the far end of the second floor.
The moment the door opened, an overwhelming cloud of perfume assaulted his senses, nearly making him sneeze.
Inside the room stood more than twenty women dressed in various outfits, all facing away from the entrance.
Apparently, these were the "high-quality goods" Nishida had been boasting about.
This fish was even bigger than he'd expected. The operation involved far more than he initially imagined.
This was probably the nightclub's primary source of income.
"Well, Wada-san? Not bad merchandise, right?"
"Name your price. The first one on the far left."
Nishida looked surprised.
"Don't you want to take a closer look first?"
Ritsu tugged lightly at his belt and grinned.
"I'm getting impatient. Don't tell me you've taken a liking to the one I picked and don't want to let her go?"
"Haha, not at all."
Nishida waved dismissively. "These goods are for customers. I don't touch them myself."
"Good."
Judging by the amount of evidence his recorder had already captured, Ritsu felt there was no reason to remain any longer.
With flawless acting, he stood up and said, "Give me a minute. I'm going to use the restroom."
"Hahaha, sure, sure."
Nishida laughed.
"Just don't wander into the wrong room. It's the one all the way at the end."
"Of course. I haven't been drinking. I'm perfectly sober."
There was no way Ritsu intended to sacrifice himself just to solve a case. The moment he entered the restroom, he immediately chose the window as his escape route.
Fortunately, it was large enough for him to squeeze through.
Otherwise...
He would've had to make a huge scene before escaping.
Thud.
He landed smoothly on the ground.
Dusting off his hands, Ritsu thought back to everything he'd just witnessed. Removing the glasses equipped with a hidden camera, he reviewed the evidence.
With the video footage and the contents of the recorder, the MPD would have no choice but to intervene.
Before Nishida even realized something was wrong, Ritsu had already returned to his car and used a portable laptop to send both the video and audio files directly to Inspector Megure, who happened to be on night duty.
A few minutes later, his phone rang.
"Onizawa-kun, where did you get this footage?"
"It was gathered during today's undercover investigation. I had a friend help me."
The lie came naturally.
His tone turned serious.
"Inspector Megure, this should be enough for the MPD to step in now, right?"
"Well..."
Megure hesitated. "I'll try to convince Superintendent Matsumoto."
"Then I'll wait for good news."
Ritsu paused.
"Oh, and please pass a message to the Superintendent for me."
"What message?"
Long fingers tapped rhythmically against the steering wheel. Looking across the street at the brightly lit SevenDS nightclub, Ritsu spoke in a low voice.
"If a nail has rusted and gone bad, ignoring it will only end with someone cutting their finger someday."
"The cost of replacing a nail is far cheaper than getting a tetanus shot, wouldn't you agree?"
...
Several dozen minutes later,
Kiyonaga Matsumoto listened to Megure's report from his own home.
In particular, he listened carefully to the message Onizawa had asked Megure to relay.
Rising from his seat and walking into the living room, Matsumoto remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"I approve it."
"As for Minister Odagiri, I'll handle that conversation myself."
"Understood, Superintendent Matsumoto. Then I'll—"
"There's another message I'd like you to pass along."
Megure blinked.
He was beginning to feel like a messenger pigeon. Still, he didn't dare be careless and listened attentively.
Matsumoto's expression hardened.
"Tell him to pull out every one of those rusted nails."
He paused.
"And make absolutely certain they're pulled out cleanly."