For people like Miyashita Naoyuki, with his narrow-mindedness, arrogance, and a twisted psyche due to his background, you either have to swallow your pride and avoid confrontation to maintain superficial amicability or destroy him completely so he cannot retaliate.

Aoyama Xiu Xin's relation with him had deteriorated, but his relations with Miyashita Hidekatsu, Miyashita Ritsuki, and Miyashita Ryouko were good. Thus, dealing with Naoyuki required considering their feelings; otherwise, offending the entire Miyashita family because of him would be more costly than beneficial.

Miyashita Ritsuki, who never liked Naoyuki, wasn't the issue. The focus was on Miyashita Hidekatsu. The plan was to let Hidekatsu gradually become disappointed and disillusioned with Naoyuki, steadily diminishing Naoyuki's value in his eyes, even to the point of making him loathe and fear Naoyuki before fatally dealing with him.

If any trouble arose concerning Naoyuki, Hidekatsu would not be willing to expend more energy to investigate any trickery, and might even be relieved to be rid of a source of constant trouble for the family.

After all, Naoyuki wasn't his only son, nor was he being groomed as his successor.

Miyashita Hidekatsu, of course, was unaware of Aoyama Xiu Xin's malicious thoughts. After listening to the brief recording, his face was so somber that it seemed he could wring water from it.

What Naoyuki had said over the phone had sounded like mere bluster.

Yet, his staunch defense of Yatada Haojie and his readiness to sever ties with Aoyama Xiu Xin suggested it wasn't mere bluster and surely involved some personal gain.

Despite his illegitimacy, Hidekatsu had always felt a bit guilty toward Naoyuki, who was obedient and knew his limits. Although Naoyuki exploited the Hidekatsu surname for making money outside (something he didn't know), and frequently caused trouble (resolved before it reached him), Hidekatsu was very fond of this younger son who depended entirely on him.

But to think, he was involved in arms trafficking!

In a gun-free country.

Arms trafficking was a serious crime, a definite red line.

Should the news leak to his rivals who obtained evidence, public opinion would surely vilify the mayor's illegitimate son for smuggling arms, and how would he, still recuperating in the hospital, handle such attacks?

Moreover, it infuriated Hidekatsu that Naoyuki, who could have chosen from many ways to make money, opted for such a risky one, proving hopelessly stupid!

He could accept his son being bad.

But not him being stupid.

Because being bad only hurts others.

But being stupid could hurt him.

So Miyashita Hidekatsu was very angry, his rage exacerbating his pain and causing his face to twitch. Struggling to control his anger, he said hoarsely, "Causing trouble for Mr. Aoyama again."

He didn't believe that Aoyama Xiu Xin had any motive to incite a rift between father and son by sharing the recording, rather he was grateful for his action as it seemed a rational choice.

"You flatter me, sir. Ryouko and I are good friends; it's my honor to be of assistance," Aoyama Xiu Xin said respectfully, then hesitantly added, "But, I'm afraid Mr. Naoyuki might now hold a grudge against me, which... really puts me in a difficult position."

Miyashita Hidekatsu took a deep breath, closed his eyes to calm himself, then opened them and said coldly, "Don't worry, Mr. Aoyama. If that disobedient son dares to trouble you bearing a grudge, then it's my failure as a father."

"Ah! With your words, I'm putting my mind at ease," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, visibly relaxing as he bowed and then added, "As for this case, please rest assured, it won't implicate Mr. Naoyuki, nor will it impact you in any way."

"Many thanks to you, Mr. Aoyama. The Miyashita family owes you several favors now," Miyashita Hidekatsu nodded and sighed, then weakly waved his hand and said, "I won't keep you any longer today."

"Ah! Mayor, please rest well, I will take my leave now," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, bowing before turning to leave.

No sooner had he left than Miyashita Hidekatsu, with a grim expression, grabbed the phone and called Naoyuki.

"Come to the hospital."

He tersely uttered three words and then hung up.

Naoyuki, who had been shaking people down to save Yatada Haojie and protect his own reputation, was shocked by the sudden summon from his father and hurried over.

Standing at the door of the hospital room, he took a deep breath to compose himself, then entered with a smile, pretending everything was normal, and said, "Dad, you wanted to see me? How's your recovery been these past few days?"

"Come here," Miyashita Hidekatsu said calmly, gesturing with his hand in a mild tone.

Naoyuki paused, then walked a few steps forward.

"Come closer," Miyashita Hidekatsu continued.

"Dad, what secret do you want to share with me?" Naoyuki joked as he approached the hospital bed and leaned in to listen closely.

"Smack!"

A heavy slap landed on his face.

Miyashita Hidekatsu's charged blow nearly knocked Naoyuki off his feet, his head buzzing as he clutched his face, confused and aggrieved, he asked, "Dad, why did you hit me?"

"Why?" Miyashita Hidekatsu asked sternly, his face ashen, "What's going on with you and Yatada Haojie!"

"Dad, how did you know..." Naoyuki began but then realized, his expression shifting as he asked, "Dad, was it Aoyama Xiu Xin who told you?"

Without waiting for a response, he couldn't help cursing, "That gossip-mongering, troublemaker of a mongrel! He's really asking for it..."

"Bang!"

A water glass flew at his forehead, splitting it open instantly, blood oozing out.

"Have you had enough?" Miyashita Hidekatsu spoke icily.

"Dad, please calm down, please don't agitate your wound. Don't listen to Aoyama Xiu Xin trying to stir up trouble. There's nothing going on between me and Yatada Haojie, we're just ordinary friends," Naoyuki pleaded, holding his forehead.

"Still making excuses!" Miyashita Hidekatsu, angry, with a grim expression, threw the recorder, "Who gave you the guts to smuggle guns? Has your brain been eaten by a dog?"

Miyashita Naoyuki, flustered, caught the flying recorder and after listening to it, was fuming with rage, "I didn't smuggle guns, I just… just…"

He stammered, unable to finish his sentence because he had indeed sold a batch of guns to Yatada Haojie.

"Do you realize the impact it would have on me if this matter were leaked?" Miyashita Hidekatsu, seeing his demeanor, confirmed his gun smuggling.

Miyashita Naoyuki, unable to defend himself, simply admitted his fault, "Gee! Dad, I know I was wrong, and I won't dare to do it again. Please forgive me."

"This time we're lucky because of Aoyama Xiu Xin. If you dare to retaliate against him, hmph, don't blame me for being harsh on you!" Miyashita Hidekatsu coldly warned.

Although Miyashita Naoyuki deeply resented Aoyama Xiu Xin and was extremely dissatisfied inside, at that moment, he could only assure, "Don't worry, I won't cause him any trouble!"

"Besides this, is there anything else you're hiding from me?" Miyashita Hidekatsu asked again.

He had once trusted Miyashita Naoyuki a lot, but such incidents once begun, lead to a trust crisis.

Because he would wonder whether Miyashita Naoyuki had been doing this all along without his knowledge.

Miyashita Naoyuki subconsciously thought about his tobacco smuggling activities and dared not admit it, decisively shook his head, and said, "No, absolutely not anymore. This was completely coincidental, and there won't be a next time."

Tobacco smuggling was not as serious as gun smuggling, so he was confident that if anything happened, he could handle it on his own and the news wouldn't reach his father.

"It better not be. Remember, think about whether an action will trouble me or your elder brother before you do it. Get out!" Miyashita Hidekatsu snorted coldly, his breathing heavily, and closed his eyes.

"I'll remember, Dad. You get some good rest."

Miyashita Naoyuki, disheveled, left and dealt with his wound on the forehead right there in the hospital.

He utterly despised Aoyama Xiu Xin in his heart; that scoundrel had actually recorded him and reported him to his dad.

Not seeking revenge was out of the question, but due to his father's warning, he had to postpone his plans, waiting till the case with Yatada Haojie was over to deal with him slowly.

Even though Aoyama Xiu Xin had strong backing in Tokyo, Sapporo was his own turf!

It was just a shame that he had spent so many years building his reputation, unable to save Yatada Haojie, it was all destroyed in one go. In the future, the number of people bringing him money to spend would certainly decrease—all damn Aoyama Xiu Xin's fault.

...

Having waited all afternoon without any news from Miyashita Naoyuki, Yatada Haojie ultimately could not withstand the police's fists any longer than his accomplices, and had to honestly confess to his crimes.

"How did Titan Gang's goods end up in your hands?" Nakamura Shinichi asked such a question.

"Titan Gang's goods? What do you mean?" Yatada Haojie was briefly stunned, unable to understand his question.

Nakamura Shinichi directly explained, "The goods you've been selling recently all belong to the Titan Gang, marked by their unique identifiers at hidden locations, they're the goods they lost."

Yatada Haojie was astonished, the goods they had recently sold were all bought from Miyashita Naoyuki at a high price, oblivious that it belonged to the Titan Gang.

Where did Miyashita Naoyuki get them from?

Wait!

He suddenly realized something, abruptly raised his head, and stared at Nakamura Shinichi saying, "I know now! You are backed by the Titan Gang, you've taken their money to target me, haven't you?"

"Speak with evidence. If you keep slandering, you'll face multiple defamation charges," Nakamura Shinichi tapped the desk, barking, "Answer my question!"

"Idiot! Why take money from the Titan Gang and not from me, we're all gun dealers, is their money nobler than mine?" Yatada Haojie was upset.

"Thump, thump!" Nakamura Shinichi knocked on the table with more force, "I'm asking you to answer my question!"

"It was Miyashita Naoyuki who sold them to me, go investigate him if you dare." Seeing the two policemen behind Nakamura Shinichi starting to tap their batons in their hands, Yatada Haojie immediately felt his pupils contract, and bitterly resented as he spoke.

"Miyashita Naoyuki sold them to you? Can you stand by that statement?" Nakamura Shinichi raised his eyebrow.

He hadn't expected this unexpected find.

"That's the truth, but where he got them, I don't know," Yatada Haojie said.

Nakamura Shinichi stood up and headed to Aoyama Xiu Xin's office, knocked on the door and upon receiving approval, pushed the door open, "Minister, Yatada Haojie claims that the batch of goods from Titan Gang was sold to him by Miyashita Naoyuki."

"Miyashita Naoyuki?" Aoyama Xiu Xin was startled upon hearing this, incredulous, "How did this kid get hold of Titan Gang's goods? No, something's definitely amiss here, Miyashita Naoyuki has secrets! Go ask about the details of how Titan Gang lost their goods."

He had initially thought Miyashita Naoyuki had secretly invested in Yatada Financial Corporation to participate in gun smuggling, but it turned out not to be so, and the inner details had to be probed.

Maybe some surprises would be uncovered.

"Hi!" Nakamura Shinichi acknowledged.

Aoyama Xiu Xin then asked, "Is there enough stock in Yatada Financial Corporation's warehouse to cover the batch lost by Titanium Gang? People have paid us, and we can't shortchange on the amount, we need to uphold our business reputation, right?"

"Enough, there's more than enough, and we could even make an extra profit," Nakamura Shinichi nodded in response.

While checking Yatada Financial Corporation's warehouse, they had filled in a false number and kept a large batch of guns, which could be sold to Titan Gang.

Embezzling seized goods is a common practice, most commonly done by customs, who sell the confiscated smuggled goods at a cheap price to fill their own pockets, which is why they are so eager to chase down smugglers—to generate their own income.

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