Spy and Purge

The house where Nadachi Tojo lived was close to Sinoe Misano's home. In other words, it wasn't far from the HR Development Center. It seemed that anyone at the team leader level or higher lived in this neighborhood, where commuting was easy. That probably explained why the surrounding buildings all maintained a certain standard of quality.

After circling Nadachi Tojo's house once by car, I parked in a paid parking lot a short distance away and got out. Since it was the afternoon in a residential area after lunchtime, the streets were nearly empty. Nadachi Tojo's house was a two-story building.

There was no way I could enter through the front door, so after checking for any watchful eyes, I hopped over the side wall and slipped into the backyard. Pressing myself against the wall, I expanded my senses to their limit. Only one person was inside the house. It must be Nadachi Tojo's wife. His two children were probably at school… This made things much simpler.

I placed my hand on a first-floor window, closed my eyes, and focused. My shadow stretched out, crawled up the wall, and slipped beneath the window frame. It continued past the window and rose on the other side until it reached the lock. Click! Using physical force through the shadow, I unlocked the window. I opened it easily and stepped inside.

The room I'd entered had a bed but was sparsely decorated, suggesting it was a guest room. I neatly placed my shoes beneath the window and closed it again. First, I needed to deal with Nadachi Tojo's wife.

Concentrating, I could hear the faint sounds she was making. She was in the living room right ahead. I slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. There she was, watching television in the living room. Nadachi Tojo's wife was so absorbed in the show that she didn't notice me opening the door behind her.

I pulled out the sleeping spray from my pocket—the one I'd taken from the former assistant team leader, Kurakake Kuma. Since I hadn't used it once after seizing it from him, all four remaining doses were still intact. I took a few more steps closer. At that moment, Nadachi Tojo's wife suddenly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stood up and turned around.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠immediately sprayed the sleeping mist directly into her face. Her eyes rolled back instantly as she collapsed, but I caught her gently with telekinesis. I didn't know why she'd turned around, but it made using the spray much easier.

“Let's get her into the bedroom for now.”

I carried Nadachi Tojo's wife to what appeared to be the master bedroom and laid her down. She probably wouldn't remember any of this. After all, Sinoe Misano hadn't been able to piece things together until I explained them to her. The sleeping spray seemed to blur the immediate circumstances of its use.

I had roughly an hour before the spray's effects wore off. While looking around the house, I discovered the study that Nadachi Tojo used. There was a computer. I turned on the machine sitting on the heavy wooden desk. Fortunately, it didn't ask for a password and booted right up.

First, I copied every important document file onto a storage device. It was supposedly next-generation USB technology by pre-possession standards—the capacity was enormous and the transfer speed was blazing fast. Then I opened the internet browser and went to his email.

What an idiot. He'd left it on auto-login. He must have thought no one like me would ever come all the way to his house. I checked the emails Nadachi Tojo had sent and received. Unfortunately, most of them were work-related.

Surprisingly clean inbox. Is that possible?

Just in case, I checked the trash folder where deleted emails were temporarily stored. That's where I found exactly what I was looking for. Of course, there wasn't any direct correspondence with Taira Jiro, but the conversation with some intermediary was incredibly telling.

I forwarded the email to myself. The sender was pretty bold. Using a Taira Steel corporate address instead of a temporary one? It was as if they weren't even considering the possibility of getting caught.

Having secured physical evidence, I stopped hoping for more and continued checking the other emails in the trash. That's when I found something completely unexpected.

What the hell is this? What is Number 3? What is 5-1? And what is 5-1s1?

I knew this email was crucial evidence. I checked the sent messages, but the temporary account had already been deleted. This contact seemed far more meticulous and suspicious than the one with Jiro's side. I forwarded this one to myself as well.

Since it mentioned regular reports, there might be something in the sent folder. But there were no obviously suspicious messages there. That made sense—if the incoming messages used temporary accounts that expired, there would be no point in replying. They must be using another method for regular reporting.

“Have I gotten everything I need?”

I muttered to myself, erased all traces of my presence, and shut down the computer. The investigation had taken longer than expected. When I focused my senses again, Nadachi Tojo's wife still seemed to be asleep. I returned to the guest room, put on my shoes, and quietly left the house. I locked the window using my shadow once more, paid the parking fee in cash, and got back in the car.

It was still a bit early to head back to the office. I drove without any particular destination in mind. Before I knew it, I was following the most familiar route in the neighborhood and stopped in front of a certain house.

It was Sinoe Misano's home. Well, it was the only house in this area I was truly familiar with. I smiled faintly and was about to start the engine again when the door to Sinoe Misano's house opened.

Sinoe Misano should still be at the company. Was it her husband? Two people emerged. One was a man wearing glasses who appeared to be Sinoe Misano's husband. The other was a woman. I briefly wondered if she was a relative—until the two of them shared a deep, passionate kiss. It was a lewd kiss that involved plenty of tongue.

After finishing their kiss, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. The man went back inside the house, while the woman got into a red car parked out front and drove away. Once both had disappeared, I checked the dashcam. The angle had been perfect—the entire explicit scene had been captured.

I transferred the video data to my smartphone and smiled. I wouldn't use it right away. Showing it to Sinoe Misano immediately would only make her sad, and I didn't want that. I'd plant some seeds of suspicion first, then show her later. That way the shock would be less severe.

While the video was important, the information I'd obtained from Nadachi Tojo's computer was far more critical. I first opened the promotion candidate file attached to the email sent by Taira Jiro's subordinate. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were surely people here that Jiro had secretly planted or recruited within the HR Development Center.

“Huh?”

Something was strange. A name that should have been there was missing. Suzuki Chisami, the assistant team leader of our Education Support Team 2, was not on the list. I checked twice just to be sure. She wasn't there. The email had been received only a week ago, and Suzuki Chisami had been at the HR Development Center for over a month. Her name should have been included.

Was she not part of Taira Jiro's faction? Or perhaps she hadn't been there long enough to warrant an immediate promotion? What was going on? Could it be that Suzuki Chisami wasn't aligned with Jiro after all?

I felt slightly confused. If Nadachi Tojo had come in person and thrown a tantrum at Sinoe Misano, her name should definitely be on that list… Without direct evidence, there was nothing I could do. I'd have to ask Sinoe Misano about the situation at the time.

I immediately opened Line. Instead of messaging Sinoe Misano, I sent one to Mimata Chieri.

Hmm… If she was out on business, I'd have to ask tomorrow. I sent Mimata Chieri a quick thank you and headed straight back to the HR Development Center. Since the residential area was so close, I arrived home in less than five minutes.

As I got out of the car and walked toward the house, I called Yukiko. The information I'd obtained was far too important to wait until she got off work.

Come to think of it, this would be my first time in the director’s office. Carrying a slight sense of anticipation, I headed toward Yukiko's office.