Chapter 7
860words
The sound of keyboard strokes cut through the pre-dawn silence. After six hours of continuous work, Shin finally completed his report: "Preliminary Assessment of Structural Safety Risks of the Tsukiwan Civic Center."
"Send anonymously..." he murmured, creating a temporary email account.
To: Safety Supervision Department, Tensei Construction Co., Ltd.
From: An employee concerned about public safety
Subject: Urgent Building Safety Hazard Report
"I hope they take this seriously." Shin stared at the delivery confirmation, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions.
This was the safest approach he could devise—using the company's proper channels to alert the safety department about the potential disaster.
Nine o'clock the next morning, Director Kokonogi's office.
"Director, the Safety Supervision Department has forwarded a report you should see," the secretary said after knocking and entering.
Kokonogi took the document and skimmed it casually. When his eyes landed on "Tsukiwan Civic Center," his expression darkened instantly.
"C7, C8 load-bearing columns have structural defects... potential for catastrophic failure... recommend immediate comprehensive structural inspection..."
The document slipped from Kokonogi's hands.
"Damn it!" He shot to his feet, his face ashen. "Someone actually has the nerve to—"
"Director?" The secretary flinched at his sudden rage.
"Find out who wrote this report immediately!" Kokonogi's voice rose to a roar. "Find them!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Kokonogi paced his office, veins bulging at his temples. For twenty years, this matter had remained buried—and now someone was exhuming it.
Worse still, the technical analysis was exceptionally professional. Whoever wrote it not only knew the inside story but also possessed advanced structural engineering expertise.
"Who could possibly..."
Three o'clock that afternoon, Core Project Division One.
"Emergency meeting! Everyone to the conference room now!"
Shin was deep in the Shinagawa Hospital data when he heard the announcement. His heart clenched.
In the conference room, alongside all Division One members, stood two unfamiliar faces—Tanaka from IT and Sato from Human Resources.
Kokonogi entered with a thunderous expression, followed by his right-hand man—Planning Section Chief Matsumoto.
"Everyone," Kokonogi said without preamble, "the company has received an anonymous report concerning our department's projects. To ensure information security, we need to inspect all work computers."
Murmurs of surprise rippled through the room.
"Inspect our computers?" someone asked incredulously.
"That's correct," Section Chief Matsumoto explained. "We're checking for unauthorized access to confidential files or any leaking of internal information."
Shin's palms began to sweat. He discreetly glanced at Hana Sawamura, whose expression was equally strained.
"Tanaka-kun will inspect each computer individually—file records, emails, browsing history, everything." Kokonogi's gaze swept across the room. "I expect full cooperation."
"Excuse me..." Shin raised his hand. "When will this inspection begin?"
"It begins now." Section Chief Matsumoto's smile was cold. "Return to your workstations and wait. No one touches their computer until after inspection."
Shin returned to his desk, staring at the CAD software still open on his screen, his heart hammering in his chest.
His computer contained everything—scanned copies of Moriyama's sketches, detailed models of the Tsukiwan Civic Center, structural analysis results, and financial documents from Sawamura.
If discovered, everything would be over.
"Kijima-kun, you're up." Fifteen minutes later, Tanaka approached his desk.
"Wait," Shin said as Tanaka prepared to insert the inspection USB drive. "Can I save my work first? I'm in the middle of the Shinagawa calculations."
Tanaka hesitated briefly. "Make it quick."
Shin's fingers flew across the keyboard. While appearing to save his CAD files, he was actually executing a carefully prepared script.
In seconds, all sensitive files related to the Tsukiwan Civic Center were renamed and moved to a folder labeled "Architectural Model Resource Library." Moriyama's sketches became "Classical Architecture Reference 01.jpg," and the structural analysis report transformed into "European Architecture Mechanics Research.docx."
"Done." Shin pushed his chair back.
Tanaka inserted the inspection USB drive and began scanning.
Outwardly calm, Shin's heart raced. The emergency program he'd coded late last night used file attribute spoofing to disguise his sensitive files as ordinary work resources.
"Hmm..." Tanaka frowned at the scan results. "Recently accessed files all relate to the Shinagawa Hospital project. No anomalies detected."
"Good to hear." Shin kept his voice carefully neutral.
Tanaka removed the USB drive and moved to the next desk.
Shin sank into his chair, his back drenched with cold sweat.
The inspection lasted two hours. Beyond discovering two employees with unauthorized entertainment software, there were no "significant findings."
Kokonogi's expression darkened further. He had expected to easily catch the whistleblower but came up empty-handed.
"That concludes today's inspection," Section Chief Matsumoto announced. "However, if similar anonymous reports surface again, the company will take more severe measures."
After everyone dispersed, Shin sat alone at his desk, watching the sunset through the window.
In that moment, he realized with crystal clarity: seeking justice through official channels was futile.
Kokonogi's influence ran deeper than he'd imagined, and his reaction had been swifter than anticipated. To expose the truth, Shin would need a more covert—and dangerous—approach.
He texted Moriyama: "Need more information. Must change tactics."
Minutes later, Moriyama replied: "Understood. Tomorrow evening. I'll introduce you to someone."
Shin deleted the message thread and gathered his things to leave.
The real battle had just begun.
