Chapter 114: Yokota Air Base

“...What? Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s Special Investigation Division?!”

Inside the police headquarters, Fáng Shícàn held the phone, his expression turning grave.

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, his eyes narrowed instantly, radiating a menacing aura.

Although Mana Mizuhara was just an ordinary high school girl, the political forces and factions surrounding her were like shadow plays hidden behind heavy curtains—difficult to discern.

Yet for Fáng Shícàn, this name was all too familiar.

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s Special Investigation Division, formerly known as the “Concealed and Hoarded Materials Investigation Unit,” was originally established with the support of the GHQ (General Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Japan) and had long been steeped in the influence of American will.

Over the years, the division was fully integrated into the Prosecution Department, becoming a subordinate branch, yet it remained subject to interference from the United States.

Thanks to American backing, the Special Investigation Division wielded immense power—no high-ranking official or financial magnate was beyond their scrutiny. Even the Prime Minister was often not spared from prosecution by this division.

However, nominally still a domestic institution, the division’s American tint had gradually faded over decades. In the past ten years especially, its leaders had no experience studying or working in the U.S., and the Prosecution Department’s authority was increasingly enforced.

Yet at present, the Tokyo Special Investigation Division still diverged from the Prime Minister’s faction.

That was why, at the secret meeting summoned by the Prime Minister, which included the heads of the Police Headquarters and the Ministry of Defense, the chief of the Prosecution Department was notably absent.

Of course, since the current Prime Minister’s overwhelming rise to power, the department had been forced to temper its boldness, lest the Prime Minister seize an opportunity to expel them entirely.

But after keeping such a low profile for so long, why would they suddenly strike now—abducting the girl Mana Mizuhara, who was rumored to have a connection with a deity?

Fáng Shícàn pondered these questions as he continued the call.

“Track the Tokyo Special Investigation Division’s vehicle route. Intercept them before they reach the Prosecution Department building.”

He issued the order, but his subordinate’s voice grew anxious.

“No... Mr. Fáng... their vehicle isn’t heading toward the Prosecution Department. It’s moving away from Tokyo... toward the direction of Yokota Air Base!”

Yokota Air Base?!

Fáng Shícàn’s pupils constricted sharply.

At that moment, he felt the hairs on his neck stand on end.

Behind the Prosecution Department... the Liberal Democratic Party factions—have they completely defected to the Americans?!

...

...

...

Mana Mizuhara sat in the back seat of the car. Gazing out the window, she frowned suddenly.

“This doesn’t seem like the road to the police headquarters.”

“I’ve already explained, Miss Mana, we are members of the Tokyo Special Investigation Division, and our destination is the Prosecution Department.”

Asaoka Tachibana smiled in response.

But Mana Mizuhara was unconvinced. She turned her head and looked at Asaoka intently.

“I remember the police headquarters’ buildings; the Prosecution Department is nearby—and this road looks like it’s heading outside Tokyo.”

Asaoka furrowed his brow, apparently surprised by her keen observation, but after a moment, he relaxed.

“Miss Mana, your insight is indeed sharp—but please trust us. We bear no ill intent. This is all for... Japan’s future.”

Japan’s future?

Never had she imagined being linked to such a vague concept.

Mana Mizuhara’s spine stiffened instantly. She stared blankly at Asaoka and shook her head.

“What does Japan’s future have to do with a high school girl like me? If Japan’s future depends on a sixteen-year-old high school girl like myself... then there truly is no future at all. Please stop this—I want to go back.”

Her words elicited no change in Asaoka’s expression, but his gaze grew colder.

“This is a matter of state authority, Miss Mana. Don’t be so childish.”

Mana sniffled and reached into her bag, as if to search for something.

“Then may I call my parents? If I return too late, they might worry.”

But Asaoka’s hand froze her movement in an instant, his eyes sharp as blades, laced with a cutting smile.

“Miss Mana, please refrain from actions that could cause misunderstandings.”

“But my parents...”

“Rest assured, your parents have already been brought to the designated location. You need not worry.”

At those words, Mana Mizuhara’s face changed dramatically.

...

“Prime Minister...”

On the hurried way to the Prime Minister’s residence, even before arriving, Fáng Shícàn had already dialed the emergency line at the Prime Minister’s office to report the situation.

Yet as he conveyed the news, a growing tide of doubts filled his mind.

...Why do the Americans want to take Mana Mizuhara?

...Why does the Liberal Democratic Party so resolutely stand with them?

...His own investigations had repeatedly confirmed that Mana was not a supernatural being—merely a girl who had gained some enhancements to her physical abilities through contact with that deity... Could it be that the Americans and the Liberal Democratic Party knew more about that deity than he did?

These questions piled up, but none could be answered quickly.

Fáng Shícàn quickened his pace toward the Prime Minister’s residence.

...

Yokota Air Base.

Four-star General Robert, commander of the Air Force base, sat in his office atop the security building, opening a window to let the breeze flow through.

Inside, a blond, blue-eyed man sat on the sofa, idly toying with an object in his hand.

“John, the plan is halfway complete. Miss ‘Mana’ will be brought into the base in ten minutes... With this, the Liberal Democratic Party is fully tied to our cause.”

“Their political power rivals that of the current Cabinet, even stronger. Though now in opposition, they are capable of restraining the Prime Minister’s ambitions. It seems this crisis can be resolved without escalating to a parliamentary sanctions bill.”

Robert’s expression was relaxed, the wind whispering in his ear like a gentle sonata.

“For this country, at any time, ‘using Japan to control Japan’ is the best option. The Prime Minister made a mistake... He believed that mere supernatural beings could become decisive strategic forces, but he forgot—Japanese citizens need food, and corporations require economic circulation. The bulk of Japan’s overseas assets, exceeding a hundred trillion dollars, are held mainly by financial conglomerates and affiliated companies behind the Liberal Democratic Party, most of which reside in America. In this respect, the current Prime Minister has repeated the errors of his predecessors decades ago.”

John continued to play with the object leisurely.

“But the internal issues in Japan can wait. What concerns me most now is this.”

John Foulson, current intelligence commander of the Seventh Fleet, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“Once we return this... and the girl named Mana, I wonder what research results we will obtain?”

He smiled faintly, tossing the item lightly in his hand before catching it and placing it beside him.

—The object was unmistakably a wooden pendant carved in the shape of a tree!

(End of chapter)