Councilor Kondo Arrested
Councilor Kondo’s PoV
The secretary general smiled, but his eyes weren’t smiling. His eyes were sharp and angry. He makes me realize, whether I want to or not, that I have stepped on the tiger’s tail.
“eh? …”
“Look, a political fight between politicians isn’t a word you can use to describe a threat. Unless you’re prepared to crush them, don’t step in so easily.”
Those words were a declaration of war against me. The room was too loud with angry words for anyone but us to hear our conversation.
And then, like ants trampled by elephants, the real high-ranking citizen dismissed me without even a hint of compassion.
“Then I would like to apologize to the audience for what happened to Councilor Kondo. I’m truly sorry.”
The secretary general just bowed his head. The hall was in an uproar after the big man apologized. In the first place, he should’ve had nothing to do with this matter. Why did he apologize? That was what the majority of people, including me, were thinking.
“We also conducted a thorough investigation into this scandal to ensure compliance and party discipline. We’re members of the city council; we cannot do our jobs without the trust of our constituents. We undertook this investigation to clean up our party. The fact has come to light, and I would like to take this opportunity to explain it.”
Sweat is dripping down my forehead.
“First, we found two things. We believe that Councilor Kondo’s threats were routinely made to cover up his son’s misconduct. We’ve already submitted the details of this case to the police with evidence, so all we’ve to do is wait for the judiciary to make a decision.”
What does he say? This person, when did you investigate me? It’s true that I threatened the victim several times regarding my son’s case. But this should’ve been done in secret. Evidence? Has someone betrayed me? Someone from the company? What the hell is going on?
“And as for the money problem Councilor Kondo himself confessed earlier, the party has checked his accounting records and political fund balance reports and found multiple traces of falsification and cover-up. What I’m giving you now is the proof. Please take a look, Councilor Kondo.”
I felt my face turn pale. Blood flowed quickly from my face.
Bribing influential people such as branch managers. To do this, I forged many documents and collected ill-gotten money. And with these bribes, I can strengthen my position in the city council and eventually pave the way for my election as mayor.
Now I’m completely exposed. This man will cut me off.
“Do you have any excuses, Kondo-kun? Your expulsion has already been confirmed. We’ve already filed a complaint. You and the branch manager will be sacrificed. We also have a rough idea of where your bribe money went in the center. The sooner you and your colleagues pay the price, the less damage will be done. This is only a criminal act that you two have committed, so we don’t have to worry about inflicting more wounds. That’s a good thing, right?”
He mumbles to me in a whisper that only we can hear. It’s a declaration of checkmate. There’s nothing I can do now.
I can only think that he treats me like a toy, like a stranger.
“Oh, no. I’ve been risking my life … desperately … for everyone, becoming mayor and then participating in national politics … lie, lie, lie. This is too much. Oh, my God. My life is already so fucked up.”
My emotions are so messed up that I start screaming incoherently and crying loudly.
Crying and sobbing, I got off the podium and ran toward the exit. As I turned around, I saw the general secretary laughing at me. The press tried to surround me, but I shook them off and opened the exit door. But there were several uniformed policemen waiting for me.
“You must be Kondo-san. We would like to ask you some questions at the police station, so please come with us.”
The strong policemen, who must’ve been arranged by the secretary general, grabbed my arm and talked to me about the arrest warrant and other administrative matters. But I couldn’t get it into my head.
“Why the hell should I be arrested? I’m the president, a member of the city council, and a high-ranking citizen.”
No one responded to my useless bluster. I was handcuffed and led out of the hotel.