Chapter 74: The Bubble Bath Incident

As Obata Yusuke continued his detailed confession, Tao Zhiming listened with a furrowed brow. If their lieutenant hadn’t specifically instructed them not to hurt him, only to restrain and deliver him to a particular place—and emphasized that this was a matter highly valued by an important figure for whom they had previously worked—Obata wouldn’t have even known that the employer was Hiroshi Omiya.

After all, their boss had only drunkenly boasted that name once. If it hadn’t been for Hiroshi Omiya issuing new instructions the previous night, it wouldn’t have been so easy to subdue Tao Zhiming when he got into the car today. The task had changed: now it was only Obata, together with another man who lived near Tao Zhiming’s house. The rest had withdrawn.

It seemed that after dropping him off, then immediately taking a cab home and coming back out again, he’d made the right move—at least, he’d made sure to appear again in the sight of the North City Association underling left behind. Before yesterday, there had indeed been things like tranquilizer darts in the car, and Obata had even prepared weapons. Though he was ready, the control he’d have faced would have been much harsher than today’s, which was merely an attempt to get close and gather information.

If they’d succeeded earlier, they would have taken him to a location in Saitama Prefecture.

Tao Zhiming asked for confirmation, “So, you’re certain it was President Hiroshi Omiya of Tomokazu Trading who hired you to kidnap me and hold me at that place?”

“…Yes, the boss said we did a beautiful job last time and that President Omiya was very pleased.”

“And what was that last job? What else did you do for him?”

Obata hesitated—that wasn’t really relevant, was it?

Tao Zhiming’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Are you looking to die?”

“I’ll tell! I’ll tell!” Obata blurted out. “Last time, we arranged for Mika Otani from a high-end Yoshiwara bathhouse to give Minister Morinaga from Kowa Trading an especially enthusiastic service, so that his death appeared completely natural. The autopsy concluded that, due to his health issues, he became overly excited after buying medicine from a trusted source, and so…”

Iriegata Yuta clicked his tongue. “That case… So it was you. No wonder—Tomokazu Trading and Kowa Trading were rivals.”

Tao Zhiming was pleased. Once he learned Omiya had hired the North City Association to deal with him, he’d suspected Omiya must have other dirty secrets. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire; seeing how Omiya resorted to such methods at the first sign of trouble, he was clearly a repeat offender.

And now, here was the dirt he needed.

He pressed on, “What about this Minister Morinaga case, Yuta, do you know what happened afterward?”

Iriegata Yuta nodded. “Since he died on a bathhouse girl’s belly, it caused a huge stir. The official investigation concluded it was an accident. But, Obata, three months later, Mika Otani left a suicide note saying she couldn’t handle the media pressure and killed herself. Was that your doing too?”

Tao Zhiming’s eyes grew cold as he stared at Obata.

“How could it be? She only thought we wanted her to treat Minister Morinaga well. We even paid her extra!” Obata protested.

“Is that so?” Iriegata Yuta grinned. “Kowa Trading publicly vowed to use all their resources to find the culprit. During the police investigation, Mika Otani never mentioned being asked to do anything special. But just now, you admitted you hired her. So, let’s have the whole truth.”

Obata shook his head. “We only asked her to give it her all, that’s all! What happened after… really had nothing to do with us…”

He hesitated, then gritted his teeth. “At least, it had nothing to do with me. Don’t be fooled by my appearance—I do know what honor is…”

“Honor, my ass! Cut to the point.” Seeing this, Tao Zhiming was about to have Yuta use force again, so Obata quickly recounted the rest.

As it turned out, Mika Otani had no idea their real aim was murder. At first, Obata and his crew’s story was highly persuasive—it was her job, after all. She received a large sum to “do her utmost” to excite Minister Morinaga, so nothing seemed amiss.

But after the death, fear set in. If threatened or tempted, and not wanting to be implicated in a real murder case, she could only stick to her story—that she simply fell for Minister Morinaga.

Tao Zhiming was puzzled. “Why claim she loved him? Wasn’t she just a service worker?”

“…You really don’t get it, huh? Weren’t you chatting skillfully with that woman the other night?” Iriegata Yuta seized the chance to tease him.

“Cut the crap! I’m just a student—why would I know bathhouse rules?” Tao Zhiming glared at him.

It was true; his knowledge of such places came only from scenes in adult films. The body’s original owner, Tao Dailang, had been a virgin. His parents were immigrants from Xia Country, with strict upbringing, and his friends were equally pure, like Ueno Yosuke.

Though Tao Dailang’s memories included the occasional lively conversation about red-light districts, there was nothing about bathhouse protocols.

Iriegata Yuta explained, “As long as it’s just standard bathhouse services, it’s legal. But anything beyond that is illegal. That’s the rule: if Mika Otani actually slept with Morinaga, the only way to avoid the bathhouse being punished is for it to be entirely voluntary, out of a romantic relationship. So the girls and their clients must be ‘in love.’ She had to claim she’d fallen for Morinaga—a love affair, you see.”

Tao Zhiming was nonplussed. “That’s a fast romance… Still, no matter how passionate, someone dying from it is rare. How exactly did the medicine do it? Wasn’t it bought from a trusted place?”

Iriegata Yuta marveled, “No wonder they said it was a beautifully executed job. They did thorough intelligence gathering—knew Morinaga’s habits, maybe even that Mika Otani was his favorite. Especially knowing where he bought his medicine, and managing to have him pick up tampered goods from his regular, trusted supplier. That’s not easy, Obata.”

Despite his slashed face, Obata managed a touch of pride—then realized his mistake.

Tao Zhiming smiled slyly. “So how did you manage that? Speak.”

“Well… it was simply because that shop happened to be run by the North City Association.”

“…And what are you so proud of?” Tao Zhiming was unimpressed. “Just because you found one opening and set up an ‘accident,’ you think you’re a genius?”

“…I didn’t make the plan,” Obata muttered.

Tao Zhiming pieced it together. So, Tomokazu Trading and Kowa Trading were fierce competitors. Perhaps Morinaga held a crucial position, and because of his exceptional ability, Hiroshi Omiya marked him for elimination.

Once the North City Association got the assignment, they did their research and discovered Morinaga liked to indulge outside of work. Despite his business acumen, his physical endurance wasn’t great, and he habitually bought strong stimulants at a shop run by the North City Association.

Thus, the plan was set: have someone pose as a subordinate seeking Morinaga’s favor, then arrange for Mika Otani, his favorite, to entertain him with all her skill. Morinaga, as expected, was thoroughly aroused and excited—but this time, the medication was tampered with, making him overly excited. Coupled with his possible underlying health issues from work stress, he collapsed.

The investigation seemed airtight; the tampered drugs might have simply had a stronger dose. And with Mika Otani’s “particularly enthusiastic” service, Morinaga must have gritted his teeth, determined to win—only to lose everything.

Tao Zhiming was amazed. “So why did Kowa Trading suspect foul play later?”

Iriegata Yuta answered, “Because Kowa Trading’s performance took a notable hit that year. Meanwhile, under Omiya’s leadership, Tomokazu Trading devoured a huge portion of their market. In retrospect, it was clear: Morinaga’s death was too convenient. He must have played a vital role in their business at the time.”

Tao Zhiming was indignant. “That bastard Omiya—why is he only trying to kidnap me? Why not send some lovely ladies my way? If he’s going to use such methods, at least let me enjoy it!”

“…"

Iriegata Yuta was increasingly convinced Tao Zhiming was a bit unhinged.

Tao Zhiming’s joke was just a way to lighten the mood—he was pleased to have stumbled upon damning details to use against Hiroshi Omiya.

He pressed Obata for more, interrogating him on every detail and other possible scandals. Obata begged, “We only did that one job—this is just the second time. There might have been others, but we don’t know who for!”

“Then tell me everything you’ve ever done!”

“Huh?” Obata looked miserable. “I’ve told you everything you wanted to know. Rest assured, with the Shindo Group protecting you, we won’t mess with you again!”

“Heh.” Tao Zhiming’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You really won’t talk? Yuta, bring the knife.”

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” Obata bitterly regretted being assigned to gather intelligence. Really, what could you learn by just driving a taxi around? Was knowing where someone went supposed to be useful?

After listening for a while, Tao Zhiming went over to the tape recorder and removed the cassette.

Obata’s heart went cold. “What are you doing? Did you record this? Yuta, we’re all yakuza—are you really going to turn this over to the police? We’re supposed to live by honor!”

The room was dim. Since waking up, he had no idea what was in the corners.

Tao Zhiming smiled. “Actually, I didn’t know half as much before this, Obata. But now, you’ve betrayed the North City Association—even if you were forced, there’s evidence. Time’s running out; make a decision. How about being my mole?”

Obata stared at the cassette in his hand, his heart turning to ice.

Was this man a devil?