Tokyo people don't talk about Wude

Chapter 343. Banquet Invitation

"The information on [Bully Butcher] Hijikata Hitoshiki has been compiled. Please review it, Miss Kiyomiya."

In an independent office of the Public Security Bureau, a police officer piled heavy documents on a corner of his desk, and then bowed to the girl who was busy working at the desk.

"Thank you. You can go and do your work first." The girl raised her head slightly in response and picked up one of the documents to read.

"Excuse me, then." The police officer bowed again, turned and left the office.

In the next two hours, Qing Palace Eliza browsed through the documents at an extremely fast speed and soon finished reading all the contents that were piled up like a mountain.

"Sure enough, Hijikata Hitoshi had already had some contact with the KJ organization when he first committed a crime as the Bully Butcher." Officer Kiyomiya put down the last report and pinched his nose tiredly:
"And his sudden appearance after so many years was probably also an order from the KJ organization. Since the targets to be assassinated are all 'bullies', Hijikata Hitoshi has no reason to refuse."

"But what is the real goal of the KJ organization? And what is [KJ's dream]? It's really a mess. It seems that it will take a lot of time to sort it out. Let's start by investigating the connection between these victims. Unfortunately, the murderer is dead. I can only rely on my subjective conjecture to search."

Officer Qing Gong scratched his messy hair and said dejectedly, "Anyway, this is another small step towards the KJ organization. But how many times do we have to take such small steps?"

As a [High School Special Investigator], although Officer Kiyomiya is still a high school student, his reasoning and action abilities are in no way inferior to most public security detectives, and he is even better than them in some areas.

However, despite this, Officer Qing Gong was unable to catch the tail of the [KJ Organization]. Every time he seemed to be very close to the truth, new obstacles would always appear, making the truth disappear in the fog again.

"Forget it. It seems like there's still a long way to go. I better be patient." She picked up the next document:
“Next on the agenda is”

【Jingle Bell--! 】

The phone rang.

Officer Qing Gong picked up the phone and murmured, "Father?"

Not very willing to answer the phone, the Qinggong police officer immediately changed to a respectful tone, just like the well-educated young lady talking to her respected father in the TV series:
"Father, is that you?"

[Elizabeth, are you still working? ]

"Yes! There is a new case recently and I am handling it."

[You work really hard, you are worthy of being my daughter. By the way, do you remember? There is a regular banquet in the middle of this month, remember to prepare for it. ]

"That kind of banquet." The Qing Palace police officer became a little impatient.

[You don't mean to say that this useless banquet is not as important as public security work, do you? ]

"Father, that's not what I meant."

[I have taught you many times that this kind of banquet is not for pleasure, but to maintain and expand the necessary network of contacts so that you can stay in the current circle.]

[Whether it is for your future career or revenge for your mother, high-quality "connections" are an indispensable tool, and their importance is no less than your own ability. Did you become a [High School Special Investigator] just because your personal ability is good enough? ]

"I understand, father." Officer Qing Gong pursed his lips and lowered his voice: "I will be ready, please rest assured, father."

[You are worthy of being my good daughter. By the way, you are seventeen years old this year, right? ]

"Yes, father." Officer Qing Gong nodded in surprise: "To be precise, I'm still one month away from seventeen."

[It's just right, you should find a male partner to attend the party. Other children have to bring a dance partner when they turn sixteen, you should find one too, this is also the [rule], otherwise you will be looked down upon.]

"Male companion." Officer Qing Gong looked embarrassed. "But even if you say so, I have been busy with work and studies. Although I still maintain the necessary social network, I don't know anyone who can be my male companion."

"By the way, if we find a male servant from home, it should be OK, right?"

[Do you want them to laugh at you? ]

"That's too much to ask. I really can't find a suitable candidate." Officer Qing Gong shook his head: "Father has no candidate for me to use?"

[If you ask me, you mentioned before that you met a civilian helper who was the same age as you and saved your life, right? ]

"Yes. There is this person." The Qing Palace police officer nodded: "But he is just an ordinary person, not suitable to attend this kind of banquet. If there are other candidates."

[What's the matter? I also want to meet this brave and resourceful young man. Bring him here.]

"Why. Ahem." Officer Qing Gong stared in surprise and bit his lip. "But. I don't know how to invite him."

[As a public security investigator, how come you can't even control your civilian collaborators? Whether you hire them for money or use sweet talk, you should figure it out yourself. Just treat it as a training for you.]

"." The Qing Palace police officer gritted his teeth and answered with a stiff upper lip, "Please rest assured, father. I will solve it."

"Officer Qinggong, I want to confirm your meaning. You want to hire me to accompany you to a banquet?"

The next day, in a coffee shop with few customers, Jiuzhou Cheng looked at the girl opposite him in surprise and tried to keep his voice low:

"I thought you were just here to ask me about the details of the case."

Just after school today, Kyushu Makoto suddenly received a call from Officer Kiyomiya, asking him to meet at a remote cafe to discuss the details of the case related to Hijikata Hitoshiki.

After the two met, Kyushu Makoto talked for half an hour, from the details of the arrest process that day to Hijikata Hitoshi's criminal motives, and also talked about Hijikata Hitoshi's ideas about "justice" and "revenge."

Officer Qing Gong was as aloof as ever, and throughout the whole process he just said "yes", "I understand", "continue" with an expressionless face, and occasionally took out a pen and paper to write something down.

However, when the interrogation was over and Kyushu Makoto was about to leave, Officer Kiyomiya seemed to hesitate for a while and asked awkwardly:

"Jiuzhou Cheng, you used to be a gigolo, right?"

The moment he said this, Officer Qing Gong seemed to realize that he had said the wrong thing. He held his forehead in shame and quickly regained his composure.

"I mean, are you willing to be employed by others?"

Then she showed a shameful expression as if she had said something wrong, but regained her composure the next second, looking both gaffe-proof and funny.

"Officer Qinggong, I've never been a gigolo before. I just worked as a handyman in a gigolo shop." Jiuzhou Cheng was confused by her question and simply said, "Just tell me what you want to say. There's no need to beat around the bush."

"." Officer Qing Gong took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Jiuzhou Cheng, I will hire you at three times the average hourly wage in Tokyo. I want you to accompany me to a banquet." Jiuzhou Cheng blinked in confusion, and asked after a moment: "Is this necessary for investigating the case?"

"It's not a case, but a private commission." Officer Qing Gong shook his head and looked at him with a fierce look: "Don't worry, it's just an ordinary banquet, there is no danger. How about it, do you accept it?"

Officer Qing Gong's eyes were very aggressive at this moment. Although he didn't say anything, it seemed that he didn't intend to give the other party any room for refusal.

"Wait, let me stroke it." Jiuzhou Cheng pinched his chin and took a deep breath.

A public security officer who had cooperated with me through life and death and who was of the opposite sex of the same age suddenly gave me a private commission and asked me to accompany her to a banquet.
No, the amount of information is a bit too much. I can't figure it out.

"I have a question," Jiuzhou Cheng said after thinking for a few seconds, "If I remember correctly, Officer Qing Gong is from a wealthy family. He must have attended a wealthy banquet, right?"

"Correct answer. Although it's just elementary school-level reasoning, it's remarkable that you can think of this immediately." Officer Qingmiya said calmly, but for some reason her eyes became more anxious:
"It should be said that it is the rule of the banquet that I must bring a male companion. But I can't find a suitable candidate around me at the moment. Or you are the only one who barely meets the criteria."

"Me?" Jiuzhou Cheng pointed at himself and couldn't help laughing:
"You must be joking, Officer Kiyomiya. I can't get along with people like you. It's not appropriate for me to accompany you to the banquet. Do you have other people around you? Classmates from Takamagahara Peak, colleagues working in the public security department, or friends in the same circle. They are definitely more suitable than me."

Jiuzhou Cheng probably understood that Officer Qing Gong should be a self-centered girl who neglected to manage her relationships, which could be seen from her way of dealing with people. She probably didn't have any friends close enough to accompany her to the banquet.

But no matter what, Jiuzhou Cheng thought he was a bad choice.

Jiuzhou Cheng had come into contact with wealthy families in his previous life, so he understood how big the difference was between ordinary people like himself and them.

Although they are both human, they are two completely different species. The gap between them in vision, manners, dressing, and philosophy can only be described as a gulf, which is almost impossible to bridge.

Jiuzhou Cheng was quite confident in his ability to handle things, and thought that he could remain calm and composed in most situations. However, it was too much for him to attend such a rich man's banquet and always act as the male companion of a Qing palace police officer.

Since the Qing Palace police are going to spend money to hire someone, why not just hire someone more suitable?

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first." Officer Qing Gong nodded slightly, his eyes shifting slightly: "But since I plan to find a temporary male companion, I just want to use him to deal with the situation. I don't want to have any follow-up entanglement with him."

"It is precisely because you are the least suitable candidate that you are the most suitable candidate for me. If I choose someone else, people will probably gossip about me and spread rumors that will make me unhappy. But if I take you with me, everyone will understand that I really just found a temporary partner and will not make random guesses about the relationship between us."

Jiuzhou Cheng laughed helplessly: "Your words are quite offensive."

Although her words were a little hurtful, Jiuzhou Cheng understood what she meant. She just wanted to find a shield at the banquet, and this poor student of hers happened to be the best choice - it would not only prevent her from being embarrassed by not having a male companion, but also avoid unnecessary scandals and prevent others from mistakenly thinking that she and this shield really had an affair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to belittle you. I just told you my true thoughts." The Qing Palace police officer lowered his eyes slightly and quickly explained:

"This will be good for you, too. You just need to take the money and do the work, and then we'll be even. You don't have to worry about any follow-up effects."

"I understand. What should I do at the banquet?" Jiuzhou Cheng crossed his arms and pondered, "Can you tell me the specific content of the job? Also, do I need any prior training?"

"You don't have to do anything, and you don't have to speak. Just stay with me throughout the banquet and listen to my instructions." The Qing Palace police officer tapped his chin with his fingertips and thought:
"I want your body data so I can tailor a suit for you. As for etiquette, I'll give you the most basic training to make sure you don't lose your composure."

"Is basic training enough?" Jiuzhou Cheng asked, "I thought your noble banquets were very particular."

"No matter how well we train you, it's useless. They can tell who you are at a glance." Officer Qing Gong looked out the window and said:

"Let me give you an analogy. Even if monkeys try their best to imitate humans, they will only be laughed at by humans. But wild monkeys that follow their own way can make humans fear them. I want a male companion, not a male servant. You should understand what I mean, right?"

".You are really harsh with your words, Officer Qing Gong." Jiuzhou Cheng was very unhappy with the way she spoke, but he knew that she had good intentions and was more or less used to it:

"If that's all, I'm willing to accept your employment."

Three times the average hourly wage in Tokyo, this treatment is better than working anywhere else.

Although asking him to attend a rich man's banquet is no less than a chicken squeezing into a flock of cranes, it will definitely be very hard. But what kind of work is not hard? He just gritted his teeth and got through it. Besides, Jiuzhou Cheng thought he was quite thick-skinned.

For Jiuzhou Cheng, as long as he is not asked to do work that is humiliating or illegal, he doesn't mind - after all, the money he makes is not bad.

Besides, the client this time was Officer Kiyomiya. Kyushu Makoto knew her a little bit and knew that she had no reason to harm him, so this should be a very safe job.

"Very good, then it's settled." Officer Qing Gong's face seemed relieved, and he casually copied down a string of phone numbers:
"I'll send you the important dates. Also, please use my personal phone for any matters concerning this employment assignment, not my work phone."

After a few more brief instructions, the Qing Palace officer slapped the bill and money on the table, got up and left first:

"I've paid the bill, you can do whatever you want. Just remember not to break your promise."

Before leaving, Officer Qing Gong looked back at him - as if he wanted to say goodbye with his eyes, but his eyes were still cold, as if he was just glaring at him silently.

Kyushu Makoto did not leave immediately, but sipped his coffee and read the itinerary sent to him by Officer Kiyomiya.

"Go to a designated clothing store in Shibuya in two days, measure your size, and then give your name to the Seimiyaji family."

"Take part in a two-hour etiquette class in ten days."

"Attend the banquet in twelve days."

"It seems like there's not much to do~" Jiuzhou Cheng held his chin and flipped through the schedule: "I really don't know why she asked me to do this. She is indeed a girl with a weird temper."

In the following days, everything went smoothly.

The clothing store designated by Officer Qingmiya was a niche high-end luxury brand. After Jiuzhou Cheng announced the name of "Qingmiya Temple", the clerk, who was already quite polite, immediately became even more polite, which made Jiuzhou Cheng very uncomfortable.

The clerk said that the style of the clothes had already been selected and all I had to do was measure the size, so it didn't take much time.

The subsequent etiquette training was also very simple. The Qing Palace police officer took Jiuzhou Cheng to a small villa, where he was instructed by a white-haired old man in a neat suit who looked very old-fashioned.

The learning content is not complicated, it is just some basic social skills, such as how much to bow when meeting different people, what posture and angle to use to shake hands, and techniques such as the angle of clinking wine glasses.

The old man taught in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and Jiuzhou Cheng also learned quickly, mastering it all within two hours.

Finally, it was the day for the banquet.

(End of this chapter)