Chapter 51: Surprise Raid

Filming for Mother was on track, and Aiko seemed willing to say “Mama” now.
Although it was unclear exactly how Otake Shinobu had managed it, Aiko had overcome her difficulty in the end, and Seiko was very happy for her.

After all, Aiko had worked so hard to prepare for so long.
It would have been a shame if, when the time came, she had to give the opportunity to someone else.

Seiko had originally wanted to accompany Aiko on set for a few days, but as late June approached, the final exams for the first semester were drawing near.
Even Seiko needed to spend some time preparing for the exams and couldn’t just take leave whenever she wanted.

Therefore, Seiko could only attend classes during the day and go to the set to watch Aiko’s filming after school.

“But, why do I feel like I always see you here whenever I come?”

Seiko looked at Okada Yukiko, who for some reason had appeared on the set again, and asked strangely.

“What’s so strange about that?” Okada Yukiko couldn’t help but avoid Seiko’s inquiring gaze.
“I’m an actress in the crew too.”

“Do you have that many scenes?” Seiko asked doubtfully.

Okada Yukiko’s character, “Suzuhara Kahoko,” didn’t even rank as the third or fourth female lead.
She was barely fifth or sixth in billing, and the episodes that required her to make a background appearance were few and far between.

“I… I can learn acting from Ms. Otake Shinobu even when I don’t have a scene…” Okada Yukiko defended herself vaguely.

Seiko looked at Okada Yukiko’s face, then at the thin blanket and pillow she was carrying, which were clearly for sleeping.

That lie was…

Seiko couldn’t even be bothered to expose it.

“Seiko-san, Yukiko-san,” another supporting actress in the drama, Ōmori Ryō’s wife, Haruka, appeared with a lunch box.
“I made some Castella cake at home.
Would you like to try some?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Thank you.”

Seiko and Okada Yukiko each took a piece from the box.

She took a light bite of the cake.

‘Hmm, it smells fragrant, tastes good, quite commendable.’

Seiko evaluated it in her mind, feeling that if she hadn’t met a loser like Ōmori Ryō, Ms. Haruka could probably make a living just with her cake-baking skills.

“Um…”

Okada Yukiko held the cake, looked at Haruka’s retreating back, hesitated, and asked cautiously.

“I heard that… she used to be an AV actress?”

“What about it?” Seiko said casually, chewing on her cake.
“Looking down on AV actresses?”

“No, no…”

“Haruka’s buns are bigger than your face.”

“Who cares about something like that!”

Seiko glanced skeptically at Okada Yukiko’s barren chest.

“Well, well, I do care a little,” Okada Yukiko blushed and defended herself.
“But I’m mainly curious, you understand, curious?”

“If you’re curious, you can go to the cinema and watch the work Haruka has currently showing,” Seiko said.

“Eh? Ms. Haruka has a movie showing in theaters?” Okada Yukiko was filled with reverence.
A film actress was on a completely different level from a new idol like her.
Even if she was very popular, the Japanese audience would still consider film actors more “prestigious.”

Seiko nodded.
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s called Guilty of Romance. You can watch it in any Nikkatsu theater.”

‘Nikkatsu? Isn’t that still AV?’

Okada Yukiko didn’t voice her silent complaint, lest she be accused by Seiko of looking down on adult film actresses again.

Tonight, Aiko had a night scene to shoot, a scene opposite Otake Shinobu.

The protagonist “Reina” is abused by her biological mother and her mother’s boyfriend, becomes homeless, and is then taken in by her teacher, “Nao.”
What they were filming tonight was the scene where “Reina” and “Nao” have dinner together in the evening.

Compared to the first day of filming, Aiko’s acting had shown visible improvement.
Of course, this was partly due to Aiko’s own efforts, but Otake Shinobu, a teacher at the “Japan Academy Prize for Best Actress” level, was certainly a major contributor.

However, Seiko always felt that whenever Aiko said “Mama,” her gaze would involuntarily drift towards her.

‘Hmm…’

‘It’s probably just my imagination.’

After all, it was already eight or nine in the evening, a time when Aiko would normally be in bed.
It was normal for a child to have trouble concentrating when they were sleepy.

By the time filming was over, it was already past eleven at night.
Aiko was completely exhausted and fell asleep in Seiko’s arms on the way home.

They returned to the Yamagami residence in the car driven by Yamagami Taka.
Aiko still hadn’t woken up, so Seiko had no choice but to carry the little one out of the car.

However…

What Seiko hadn’t expected was to be stopped at her own front door.

“Stop.
There’s an investigation in progress inside.
Please do not enter without permission.”

Two police officers had set up a cordon at the entrance to the Yamagami residence, keeping curious onlookers and the steadily arriving yakuza outside.

Inside the gate, it was already a scene of chaos.
It was clear the police were conducting a surprise search of the Yamagami home.

“You bastards, what are you saying…”

Yamagami Taka was about to lose his temper on the spot but was stopped by a raised hand from Seiko.

“Excuse me, can you tell us what happened here?” Seiko asked the police officer.

“No, case information must be kept confidential. No comment,” the officer refused without a second thought.

“But you have to at least tell us when we can go home, right?
My sister needs to sleep,” Seiko said.

One of the younger police officers looked at Aiko, still sleeping soundly on Seiko’s shoulder.
His expression softened slightly, and he revealed a little information: “Just wait a little while.
It won’t be long, we’ll be wrapping up…”

The young officer had barely finished his sentence before he was glared back into silence by an older officer.

However, just as the young officer had said, it wasn’t long before the police packed up.

The first person to come out of the Yamagami residence was Kihara Shinichi.
It seemed the ones conducting the midnight raid were old acquaintances of the Yamagami-gumi—the Urawa Police Station’s Investigation Section One.

As they passed each other, Kihara Shinichi’s gaze met Seiko’s briefly, but neither of them said anything.

A short while later, a commotion erupted among the yakuza outside the gate, shouting things like “Kuso!” and “You bastard!” as Yamagami Nobuo was escorted out by two police officers.

“Grandfather, what’s happened to you?” Seiko took the initiative to ask.

“I don’t know.
Perhaps they’re taking me to headquarters,” Yamagami Nobuo glanced at the Yamagami-gumi emblem on his own gate and replied, seemingly casually.

“Let’s go.
Your case doesn’t require police headquarters to intervene.
Our Investigation Section One can bring you to justice!” The female police officer behind Yamagami Nobuo, Asano Kumiko, pushed him forward, then turned her head to look at the girl who must be the Yamagami-gumi’s young lady and issued a warning, “Little girl, you must remember, breaking the law will always have its consequences.”

Seiko nodded calmly.
“One can only hope.”

“You…”

‘What does she mean, one can only hope?’

Seiko’s simple words nearly sent Asano Kumiko into another rage.

“Kumiko, hurry up.”

Kihara Shinichi urged from ahead.

Asano Kumiko could only reply with a “Yes,” and quickly got into the car and left.

“Mmm, Sis…”

Aiko stirred twice in Seiko’s arms, seemingly about to be woken by the noise.

“It’s alright, go back to sleep…”

Seiko patted Aiko’s back and coaxed the little one back to sleep.

Entering the house, Seiko first put her sister to bed.
When she came out again, Murakami Eishi had also arrived.

“What happened?” Murakami Eishi seemed even more confused than Seiko.

Seiko shook her head, and after a moment’s thought, she gave an order: “Notify all the chokusan to come for a meeting.
No one is allowed to be absent.”