Chapter 1073. Pastry Filled Adventure / National Interest
After Dinner.
Mariko, the Takakura sisters, Tsukiko, Yomi, Luna, and Koyomi-chan…
Then, Haiji, Rie, and Eri, the nine of us gathered in a separate room.
「 Minaho won’t be returning tonight so I’ll have to explain it to you 」
Margo-san and Nei said.
As for cleaning up the dining room, we asked Katsuko-nee and Nagisa to take care of it.
Kana-senpai, Megu, Ai, and Mana are with them.
Mitama, Kinuka, and Arisu are looking after Agnes and Mao-chan.
Yukino should be playing along with Mao-chan too.
「 Although, I’m sorry to say but the situation may change while we’re talking so I’ll talk while the TV is on 」
「 I’ll be checking the situation over the internet 」
Nei says with an open laptop on her.
「 It helps that you’ll explain things, but… 」
I looked at the twins.
「 Eri and Rie, are you sure you want to be here? 」
Guessing from the exchange in the hotel today, the enemy’s objective is the Miko power, and so…
I get that the four from the Takakura house are here.
Haiji’s a bodyguard, so she has to know the situation.
Mitama and Kinuka are also combat-capable but they have no skill to a.n.a.lyze the situation and so they’re not here.
On the other hand, Mariko’s expected to understand the situation and so she’s here.
But, Eri and Rie…
「 These girls know the smell of the other side. Minaho said that they should hear the situation together with Yoshin.o.bu-kun 」
Minaho-neesan did?
「 Well, it’s okay. We’re already accustomed to scary and dangerous stuff 」
「 We don’t want to get used to it though, right, Eri-chan? 」
The twins said and then take their seats.
「 I believe that these girls should stay 」
Mariko told me.
「 These girls are sharp. I’m sure that they’ll notice anything that we might miss unintentionally 」
Right, earlier, they did just that.
They immediately noticed Kudou-papa’s sign. That Mazinga Z and a.s.sorted Car Set.
「 You know, we always think that when our parents talk, there’s something between the lines that put us in danger after all 」
「 That’s right. It’s the scariest when they’re trying to talk to us with a smile and say that there’s a good thing 」
「 You don’t know how far are they going to keep their word after all 」
「 Really, it would be bad if we didn’t see what they’re trying to say between the lines 」
Therefore, they never take what others say at face value.
They always think of the other side.
「 I mean, it’s just rare to see someone who doesn’t have other motives like Onii-san 」
「 That’s true. Other people always hide something behind their words 」
「 It’s my first time meeting someone who makes me at ease 」
「 Me too. Mao-chan and Mao-chan too, everything is as they seem to be 」
「 Yukino-neesan too, right? 」
「 Yes, her. That girl’s too easy to understand that it’s easy to be with them 」
The twins said.
「 Well, putting that aside, sit down everyone 」
Margo-san told us.
We also sit next to the twins.
「 First of all, Yoshin.o.bu-kun, how much can you guess about the nature of the enemy? 」
Margo-san smiled and asked me.
「 The enemy is from the government. Or should I say, the police? 」
I replied.
「 Why would you think that way? 」
That’s…
「 Well, from the news earlier, the one who abused his authority and tried to gather personal information and got arrested was someone from the police. 」
「 Kou, he’s not just from the police. That man was from the National Police Agency 」
Mariko said.
「 What’s the difference? 」
Aren’t they both police?
Then, Margo-san;
「 The police system in j.a.pan is a bit different. The policemen who work on-site is what they call a “local government employee,” under the structure of each administrative divisions of j.a.pan. The ‘public safety commission’ of each prefecture is supposed to ‘manage’ their police 」
The so-called “ordinary police,” are organizations scattered on each administrative division.
「 Then, the National Police Agency is an inst.i.tution of the National Public Safety Commission, an external bureau from the Cabinet office of the country authorities. Therefore, the staff of the National Police Agency is all government officials 」
So the National Police Agency is a national agency.
「 Oh, speaking of which, we do have the Metropolitan Police Department, right? 」
I recalled
「 The Metropolitan Police Department is the police safety commission that’s managing the police organization only in Tokyo. The other prefectures have “**** Prefectural Police,” but Tokyo’s the only one with the name Metropolitan Police Department. Or how should I say it? Tokyo is the only city that needs a lot of organization that other prefectures’ police departments don’t have. We don’t have the same scale as the other cities, right? Nearly 10% of the Population of j.a.pan live in the capital city area 」
「 Meaning, the Metropolitan police department’s police officers are government employees under the umbrella of Tokyo Metropolis? 」
Mariko said.
「 Well, that’s only concerning the site. Therefore, when recruiting new police officers, each of the prefectures hires their own, and they also manage their own academies 」
Margo-san replies.
Err.
So the Metropolitan Police Department is only in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
Then the National Police Agency is for the whole country.
「 In other words, since the National Police Agency scopes the whole country, they manage the whole country as well. However, the truth is that they don’t have control of each administrative division of police. They have different lines. The National Police Agency is connected to the National Public Safety Commission from the Cabinet Office, but the prefectural police departments have to obey the public safety committee on the prefecture or the country. As for their wage, they receive money from each one 」
The government official receives from the National Police Agency.
The local government employee receives from the prefecture.
「 But, that doesn’t mean that they’re completely separate 」
Margo-san smiles wryly.
「 The budget of the organization comes from the local but that doesn’t mean that they have to follow the governor of the prefecture. They say that the Administrative Divisions public safety commissions are a controlled study and are under the jurisdiction of the prefectural governor but the fact is the National Police Agency gives command directive on each prefectural police. To be precise, the National Police Agency creates a ‘precinct police bureau’ to ‘guide and supervise’ the prefectural police. Hokkaido and Tokyo Metropolitan Area are different, also, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu jurisdiction 」
The police in each prefecture have their own self-governing body, and yet…
The prefectural police are tied up to several jurisdictions, and the National Police Agency controls them from above.
「 Do you know why they do that? 」
「 I don’t know… 」1
I replied honestly.
「 For example, the prefectural governors are elected from various parties on each one, right? In some cases, a politician from an opposition party that is in rivalry with the ruling party that runs the national government becomes the governor of a prefecture 」
Y-Yeah.
「 In that situation, where the prefecture police, are staff paid by money produced by the prefecture, and so when the prefectural governor says “I’m the governor so you do what I tell you,” it becomes chaotic, right? If the prefectures of the country have vastly different policies, the citizens won’t be able to understand them 」
Oh, I see.
「 So that’s why even if the Administrative divisions have their own self-governing police, they still have to obey the National Police Agency 」
Mariko said.
「 That’s right. They’re a local authority and yet the prefectural governor has no control over them. While at it, among the district police officers, a police inspector that get promoted leaves the government employee t.i.tle and becomes an officer. That’s the rank of department head at prefectural police headquarters. Meaning, they control not just the bosses on each prefecture but the pay coming from the country as well 」
「 But, if the state has that much control, the prefecture won’t be able to speak their opinion or complains, will they? 」
Mariko asks frankly.
「 That’s what the public safety commission on each prefecture is for. The Public Safety Commission, which is supposed to ‘manage’ the police in each county in the system, is actually the coordinator between the county and the county police. Thus, they make the system where they listen to the demands of each prefecture 」
Margo-san said.
「 That system…it’s a bit hard to determine if it’s good or not in a lot of ways. That’s the shape of the system but the fact is that they’re making complicated promises. Well, if the country gives an order of how the police should move, then it will go through the National Police Agency, then it will go from top to bottom of each police field on the prefectures and they’ll follow it without delay. They do what the country decides. That’s how it is, however… 」
Yeah…
「 However, the police officers on the scene also think “We receive orders from the country, but we’re actually from a different organization. We belong to our local government” After all, their position are all different. The people ordering from Tokyo are the elite government officials, and they’re local government employees. The wage structure is completely different. If you don’t rise through the ranks and become a police inspector, you won’t be able to compete on an equal footing with the people in the Tokyo Police Department 」
The police organizations of the country follow the rules of the country, but…
The structure of the organization is different between the ‘central’ and the ‘field’ and the position of the police officers working there is different.
「 After all, the police officers on the field study in the police academy but those in the central government’s national police agency go to a different academy than theirs. There will be a difference as those from the national police agency are called elites 」
Margo-san smiles wryly.
「 Well, the power of the state takes swings from commanding and leading, and it’s a special case and so for the ordinary police officers, they just do their duty on the field without any changes. The country won’t be complaining about every brawl in town, shoplifters, a bike thief, or missing children. Tokyo’s national police agency will only speak on special cases 」
Special…
「 Yes, for example. Remember when the police are monitoring this mansion because Kyouko-san’s seen here? 」
They always had someone stick in front of the gates since May.
They face against the Kouzuki SS surveillance team…
「 We call those people “Security police,” but officially, if they’re from the Metropolitan Police Department, then they’re “Public Security,” if it’s outside the administrative divisions, then it’s police affiliated with “defense,”…Meaning, those people are policemen who are local government employees affiliated prefectural police division 」
I see. I was sure that the security police was a special organization in the country.
「 Naturally…the national police agency has public safety division, although, it doesn’t have its police officers working on the field. Their job is only to guide the police officers in the public safety in the administrative divisions of the country 」
I see.
「 If I recall, our country also has the Public Security Intelligence Agency, right? 」
Mariko asks.
「 The Public Security Intelligence Agency is an external bureau of the Ministry of Justice. They’re not a police organization. Their work is subversive activity and examining activities that might be an act of terror. They can do on-site inspection arbitrarily, but they can’t do a compulsory search, household search, nor arrest people. They’re government officials, and they’re a completely different organization from the police 」
Margo-san replied.
「 So, the man whose arrest is possibly fabricated on the news, what organization is he in? 」
「 I think that he’s in the top bra.s.s of the national police agency 」
I recalled and answered.
「 Then that means… 」
「 They’re not the policemen on-site, but the government officials? 」
「 That’s right. In short… 」
「 The enemy isn’t the whole police force but just the top 」
I said.
I get the situation of the security police on-site after the stuff in May.
Those people target Kyouko-san, and just her.
And they never made a move on us for the past six months.
And when we were having a dispute with the Kansai Yakuza, they pulled out and never tried to come at us aggressively.
「 Kouzuki-san displays his leverage over the influential people in j.a.pan’s political and business world 」
Margo-san said.
Jii-chan, the head of the Kouzuki house, is well known among the political and business circles.
「 However, this country has this weird group named “bureaucracy” 」
Bureaucracy?
「 The elites of the bureaucrat. They think that they move the whole nation. Some troublesome people 」
That’s the enemy.
「 Tsukiko-san, Yomi-chan, Luna-chan, and Koyomi-chan, there are a lot of people who knows about your special powers 」
Margo-san looked at the girls.
「 We did a lot of noise during the dispute with the Kansai Yakuza after all. However, the influential people in the politics and business feel calm as Kouzuki-san’s going to manage the Miko power 」
「 So, Jii-chan persuaded those people? 」
I asked.
「 Not really. Yoshin.o.bu-kun and the girls, it was the fruits of your pitch 」
We did…
「 After all, isn’t that what the party in the Kouzuki house last week was for? 」
That garden party?
「 The outcome of the party last week raised the trust of the n.o.bility in the Kouzuki house. The punishments on the Kurama and Mizushima house showed how much Kouzuki-san cares for the whole n.o.bility. And it was also beneficial to see that the young ladies of the big 3 representatives, the Kouzuki, Kaan, and Kanou house, get along with each other. Showing that Kouzuki house will always accompany the n.o.bility makes the heads of the n.o.bility who knows about Tsukiko-san’s powers to think “There should be no problems if Kouzuki house is in control” 」
「 Meaning, it’s all for Tsukiko and the girls? 」
I said in surprise, but…
「 No, that’s not it, Yoshin.o.bu-kun. Tsukiko-san’s power is too strong that no normal person can control it. They’re girls who can read minds and have other people do their will 」
Margo-san said.
「 The n.o.bility thinks that it would be helpful if it’s under the control of someone they can trust. Then, after hearing the story from their daughters from the party, they confirmed that they can trust Kouzuki-san with them 」
If they’re under Jii-chan’s control, then he won’t be abusing the Miko power for bad at least.
「 And those people are influential in politics and business, and they have a lot of connections. Therefore, those people think that it’s okay to let the girls of the Takakura shrine maidens be left alone. However 」
The elite bureaucrats…
「 The elite bureaucrats are all graduates of the top-cla.s.s universities and have pa.s.sed high-grade examinations. They’re all too smart, but their origins are scattered. That’s the biggest problem. j.a.pan has freedom of thought. If you’re smart and you pa.s.sed the test, you can become a bureaucrat, but, you can’t question what kind of allies they have, what thoughts they have 」
If there’s a rich person there, then there should be a poverty-stricken person there too.
They have different principles and beliefs.
『 Stupid people have the delusion that the government is always hiding something from the public and secretly facilitating a sneaky, evil conspiracy. That’s just impossible. If the government wants to do something new, they have to use state bureaucrats to set up a project team, and there are so many different ideas mixed in with the central government that it’s only natural for information to leak out. The ruling government always has no choice but to play poker with its hand showing. If they can hide it, it’s about one card in their hand and the rest of the cards are all seen by the opponent. Because the movements of the prime minister and ministers are constantly being checked and if they tell the bureaucrats what to do, it’s immediately apparent. Politicians have their hands and feet tied up all the time and so even if they try to implement a new policy, it won’t be done right away. Implementation takes weeks or months, and you always check on how it’s going. It’s impossible to make plans behind closed doors and implement them in secret. Therefore, politics is always slow, and politicians seem stupid. They’re playing poker with their hands exposed after all 」
Yeah.
「 The bureaucrats become the hands and feet of the politicians, and as they come up with ideas and a.s.sist them, they think they are the ones running the state. Well, there’s nothing wrong with being proud of your work. However, some of them make fun of what politicians and businessmen are saying and think that they should just leave everything to them 」
That’s…
「 Yes, those people think that if there’s some convenient ability like the Miko power, then they shouldn’t be in the hands of Kouzuki-san but instead, under the hands of the bureaucrats of the state 」
So that’s the true nature of the enemy.
「 Rather, if they have the Miko power, they think that they could control the selfish politicians, the financiers who don’t listen to them, the other bureaucrats, and the ordinary people 」
I see. So that’s why they tried to take away Yomi.
「 As I mentioned earlier, in America, each time the political power changes, the bureaucrats of the country are also switched, but that’s not the case in j.a.pan. The elite bureaucrats can take their status within the government for as long as they like. The cabinet ministers do change, but those people take root. All while seizing great power 」
Oh, now I can see the specific enemy.
「 Although, they only send orders to do the job from above and so, someone had to hire people to send over. They can’t give direct orders to the people on-site after all 」
The National Police Agency can give instructions and guidance to each administrative division police.
However, the organization is different.
Those working on-site can sense weird orders if it’s too obvious.
After all, the other party is the police who work and investigates on-site.
Even if it’s an order from the elite bureaucrat, if they think that it’s bad, then they will leak it to someone to protect themselves.
They have no duty towards the elites of the Tokyo bureaucrats.
If that’s the case.
「 Oh, so the person who contacted us in the hotel was just useless? 」
「 Well yeah, most of the time, they won’t hire people of their level. Well, it’s helpless since they decided to hire someone who doesn’t know anything on-site 」
Margo-san smiles wryly.
「 Thanks to that, it seems that the state bureaucrats who planned this are discovered one after another 」
And Kudou-papa’s heading to subdue them all at once.
「 Two in the National Police Agency, one in the General Affairs Agency. Then, there are also people from the Ministry of Economy 」
Those guys are trying to abuse Miko power.
「 Really, you just have to look at all the ex-state bureaucrats-turned-politicians, you know? The delusions of grandeur that they can lead j.a.pan in the right direction are getting in the way, and that’s why it’s so hard to clean up 」
So that’s it.
「 Kouzuki-san’s line is already aware of the recklessness those people did and so the administration and the police won’t make a move. Kudou-san’s group is going to eliminate all the problem children 」
Margo-san said. Mariko;
「 Eliminate? Does that mean killing them? 」
「 Well, can you coexist with a cancer cell? 」
Margo-san said with a smile.
「 They stated that they should use Tsukiko-san and the group all for the national interest of j.a.pan. But, what is the national interest? Tsukiko-san, Yomi-chan, Luna-chan, and Koyomi-chan, they’re all j.a.panese citizens. Why is it that Tsukiko-san has to become a sacrifice because of some conceited thoughts of one of the elite bureaucrats? People who are making such stupid plans should be dealt with immediately 」
Yeah.
The national interest they speak of doesn’t involve the citizens.
I feel that way.
1. I don’t know either, and why the f.u.c.k is that part so hard to translate. I mean, I probably made a lot of mistakes there