Morofushi, Takaaki
Summary
Takaaki Morofushi serves as a police inspector in Nagano and shares a childhood bond with Yamato Kansuke, with whom he maintains a competitive rivalry. The two first crossed paths while attending the same elementary school, where Morofushi’s reputation for solving cases was already established. His early exploits inspired a book titled "Komei-kun from Second Second Grade Class A!", which featured a character based on Yamato. Morofushi keeps this book in his car’s glove compartment as a tribute to the deceased author, who was a personal friend. Morofushi previously held a high-ranking position in the Nagano police force but briefly abandoned his post to search for Yamato after the latter was left for dead in the snow during an investigation. Although Morofushi succeeded in locating the suspect and rescuing Yamato, he was subsequently demoted to a local inspector in Nagano. It is later revealed that he has effectively returned to working at the main headquarters. In demeanor, Morofushi is calm and well-mannered, standing in sharp contrast to Yamato’s quick temper. Yamato notes that Morofushi often ignores those around him while focusing on investigations, sometimes crossing jurisdictional boundaries to solve cases. He is willing to risk his life to get results. Their rivalry is largely friendly, centered on who can crack a case first, and Yamato has attempted to help Morofushi return to the regular force, even once risking his own safety by entering a burning building to save Morofushi.
